Infamy and Honor
by PouncingTiger
Summary: It all started on a little island on the West Blue. A crew of misfits were formed and they struck out to meet new people, gather new crew, and make their dreams a reality. Do they really have what it takes to conquer the Grand Line or will the perils that await swallow them whole?
1. Let's Start the Day!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"Rise and Shine on Kaishi Island! Let's Start the Day!"**

_Flames and smoke! Flames and smoke! Buildings burning, people screaming, gun shots sounding through the night! Chaos everywhere as people flee! A gang of evil pirates trot from the shadows, all evil, all smiling, all happy at the terror they're bringing. There's a child in the corner, his eyes wide with fear, his body trembling as he tries to hide from the flames, but is caught right in the pirates' vision. They step closer, he tries to move back, but he can't. He's caught. There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. The pirates loom over him, each of them smiling, each of them pointing a gun at the boy._

_"__ATO! WHERE ARE YOU!" he screams before the pirates fire._

Atori falls out of his bed, cocooned in his sheets as he tries to wipe the dream…no, nightmare…from his mind. He takes a moment, frantic eyes focusing in the darkness before he sighs deeply and pulls himself from the sheets and stands. He walks over to the window near his bed in the bleak hostel room. The night is still reigning as he gazes into the darkness over the town, sighing deeply as he roughly drags his hands through his brown hair.

"I'm coming, Dallis. Just…just hold on," he mutters to himself, hoping that somehow his whispers can reach his little brother.

It had been nearly two weeks since that night. Atori had returned from his fights – the fights that he entered to provide for him and his brother. Their parents had died years ago, lost in a mysterious house fire. From that day, he'd only spent one week with his repugnant uncle before him and his little brother struck out on their own. It wasn't easy – far from it actually, but Atori was doing what he could to keep them afloat. He'd gotten them a room – more of a hut, paying their rent by working for the hut's owner in her restaurant by day, and Ato – that's what his brother loved to call him – would fight at an underground, seedy fighting ring at night for extra money over at a nearby island.

The next morning when he'd returned home, he was greeted with ash, the entire village that he'd grown to adore had been destroyed overnight by a gang of rouge pirates. They'd destroyed everything, killing as many as possible, and those…those bastards had the gall, the fucking balls to run off with Dallis, Atori's younger brother. Why they'd taken the fifteen year old boy, Ato would never know. All that mattered was that one of the few surviving citizens of the attack had managed to capture a few fuzzy pictures of the pirates' ship. Ato automatically took one for himself and set off on the hunt to get his brother back and to kill those bastards in the slowest way possible.

That was nearly two weeks ago. Atori had jumped island to island, following different leads from the people there. He hadn't been able to learn much about the crew of the pirates, outside of the direction that they were going in. All Ato needed was one good lead, like where the bastards were going, and he'd be there waiting for them. But for now, chasing a ghost was the best he could do.

The tall brunette stepped from the window, absently scratching at his bare stomach before falling back onto the bed, not bothering with the sheets as he picked up a picture from the side table. He held it up to his eyes, able to see it perfectly despite the darkness of the room. He'd stared at it so much, there was no way he'd forget it. The last photo he had left of Dallis, he and his younger brother sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant, arguing as usual and Dallis had actually thrown ice cream in his face. Atori had nearly contemplated killing his brother that day, but if it meant being doused in gallons of ice cream every day for the rest of his life, he'd do it to have his brother back.

Alas, life wasn't that simple.

"Just hold on," he whispered one final time before closing his eyes and tried to wait out the night. For the second the sun rose, he was going to be out asking anyone and everyone about those damn pirates, the pirates that he was going to skin alive and burn at the stake for what they'd done. Soon…soon, he'd have everything back.

* * *

The sun was gleaming brilliantly over Kaishi Island, its rays greeting the town's inhabitants as they bustled about in their typical rituals of the day. It wasn't an extraordinarily large town, but it had a bustling economy with many shops, stores, and restaurants. It was also a fairly popular stop for the sea travelers, making it a prime stop for pirates.

Atori hustled through the streets of the town, having been hard at working at searching for any leads since daybreak. After so much walking around, he'd already formed a fine sheen of sweat over his body, but it was easily ignored as he continued on. His metal tonfa rattling in his boots with each step he took. They were his main weapon, ones that had earned him infamy in the fighting ring he'd entered, and were always in arm's reach if he needed them. The rest of his outfit consisted of a deep red, form-fitting t-shirt above a pair of dark pants that shined a dark blue in certain lights. He'd left most of his other belongings at the hostel for the day, unneeded.

He huffed a deep sigh before glaring up at the sun through his long brown hair. After all this walking around, he could definitely use a drink. He stopped in the street, looking around to find where might be a good place to stop for a refreshment.

"A-atori?" a questioning voice called, the hesitance in it unmistakable. Atori turned to the voice, trying not to look surprised that someone had actually known him. "It is you!" the man called before running over.

Atori refrained from rolling his eyes, but couldn't hold back the irritated sigh. The object of his annoyance was a man that he'd faced many a time during the fights, not all that talented really, but he did have a few impressive moves when he was convicted enough to show them off. Still nothing compared to Ato, though.

"Oh, hey…you?" The guy's name was forgotten, but Atori didn't care enough at the moment to feel bad for it.

The guy came to a stop, big wide smile on his face as he greeted Ato. "Forgot my name, huh?" he chirped, not at all insulted. "It's Ches! C'mon Atori, how many times have we been at each other's throat? Twenty? Thirty times? You can't remember my name?" He laughed heartily when Atori simply stared at him without a single sign of actually caring.

The guy was an oddity in itself with his simply odd style of fashion. He looked like a rainbow on crack. His hair was a bright, neon green, clashing horribly with his bright pink bandana wrapped around his head. A long, yellow trench coat covered a white v neck shirt and dark blue shorts that rode down to meet what had to be unbearably heavy, red combat boots. His finger nails were a dark shade of purple and he had a long crescent moon earring dangling in one ear. How exactly did Ato forget a guy like this?

"Ah, yeah. Ches, the guy of a thousand colors," Atori replied in a bored tone.

"How've you been? It's been a while since I've seen you at the fights. You're usually there almost every night," Ches chirped, that big smile hardly leaving his face as he stepped forward and ushered Atori to walk along with him.

He ignored the fact that he was being led like a dog and said, "Been busy with other stuff." Which reminded him. Ato pulled out the photo of the pirates' ship and handed it to Ches. "You haven't happened to see this ship have you? I know it's a bad picture, but…"

"Yeah. I've seen it," the guy answered, handing it back to Ato with a puzzled expression.

"Really!" Maybe it wasn't so bad that he'd stumbled onto the weirdo.

"Yeah. They were hereeee…two days ago. I think." Ches stopped, putting a finger to his chin as he thought. "Definitely! They left two days ago."

Darn it all! Ato had just gotten there yesterday evening. "Where did they go?!" he demanded, rushing Ches and shaking the guy for a quick answer. If Ches was shocked by this, he didn't show it.

"Sorry guy. Don't know," he answered, looking genuinely apologetic. When Atori stepped back, face a mask of gloom, he asked, "What's so special about those pirates?"

Atori threw Ches a dangerous glance, his green eyes glaring threateningly before he sneered and kept walking. "None of _your_ business!"

Ches paused all of two seconds to stomach the answer and shake off the threatening eyes before running to catch up. Completely ignoring the pirate ship now, he smiled. "I can accept that! So then, do you mind if I ask what else you plan on doing for now?"

Atori took a long moment before answering. "Other than trying to find someone who can tell me where this ship is, for the moment I need a drink. I've been talking in this sun for hours."

"Perfect! I know of a place you've just got to try!" Ches chimed, snatching Atori by the arm before he could protest. Something between a growl and a grunt rolled from Ato's lips, but wasn't given merit as Ches yanked them through the crowd of people, dodging around the area like criminals on the run.

* * *

"So I tell the guy I'm not paying that freaking much! And you know what? He actually pushed me. Pushed Me! After pulling myself from the ground, I…" Ches continued on about the story, blissfully unaware that Atori had stopped listening after his first word.

Ato pulled his lips from the empty glass, his body practically cheering in thanks for the refreshing drink. He looked over at Ches, who was still talking. The guy was obviously one of those people that talked just to hear themselves speak or something. In fact, he recalled that Ches had the annoying habit of actually wanting to talk during a fight, not trash talk but an actual conversation. Weirdo. Ignoring him further, Ato looked around the bar that they'd ended up in. They'd claimed a seat nearest the corner because Ato just liked to have a full scope of the area around him. It was a normal set bar, nothing special with its various sitting areas around the room and of course, the stools at the actual bar itself.

The only reason Atori hadn't beaten Ches up for pulling on him so roughly earlier was because the rainbow had promised to pay the bill. Free drinks and those gummies the place sold, they were like something right out of heaven and Atori didn't even really like sweets. What was the name of this place? The One Shot Tavern or something like that.

"How's it going handsomes?" the bartender called, appearing over at Atori and Ches's table. A lazy smile on the woman's face as she stood above them.

Her name was Sonya, a real fox for her age. Her curly brown hair flowing down her back and a perky chest under the rags of clothing she wore. She looked like a woman of knowledge, like she'd grown up in a rough setting but came out the other side unfazed, maybe even stronger. Atori liked her instantly.

"We're good, Sonya," Ches chirped, smiling that big dumb grin up at her.

"Well the question was more for old emerald eyes over here," she answered, locking eyes with Ato with a cunning smirk. "Haven't seen you around here before; you new or something, mister…"

"The names Atori and yeah, I'm new," he answered.

"Nice to meet you, Atori. Welcome to Kaishi Island. You've picked yourself a stellar companion while here." She pointed over in Ches's direction, the rainbow's smile growing bigger. "He's a good kid, good influence you know."

Atori recalled all of the times he'd seen the guy fight, remembering that he could be outright brutal, though those times were pretty rare. Still, good kid? Maybe. Good influence? No madam, no.

He didn't get a chance to voice this though before Sonya was called back to the bar by a noisy old man. The woman didn't seem bothered by him though – maybe she knew him. She went on about her business with a sly wink.

"You heard that Atori? I'm a good influence on you!" Ches chirped, trying to sound smug.

Atori didn't even honor that comment with a response. "Just worry about taking care of this tab. I think it's time I start asking around more. I've wasted too much time here with you," he said, beginning to stand as he ignored the look of hurt on Ches's face.

Just as he did so, though, an uproar of laughter sounded from the other side of the bar. Both guys' heads snapped over in the direction, glares settling as they took in the rowdy pirate crew that was just then deciding to head out also. Atori straightened up when the biggest of them – the captain he presumed – locked eyes with him. She was a woman, big and tall, with the ugliest face Ato had ever seen on a female. Her dirty purple hair on top of a pineapple head didn't seem to help either. She snarled at Ato and continued walking, laughing when one of her crew kicked over their tables, leaving the remaining glasses to fall to the floor in a mess.

"Your sake sucked by the way!" she chortled, leaving out without so much as a backward glance at the mess that her and her crew had made.

"Madame Kissaru…" Ches growled as he looked over the mess they'd made. "She's the worst kind of pirate that you can find. I can't wait for someone to take her down a peg or two."

Atori looked over at the guy, noting the look of contained rage on his face. This one of those rare moments where he might prove to be brutal fighter. "Well let's go then," Atori said, fully intent on finding the captain and giving her what she deserves.

Ches, not so much. The guy's rage ran as quick as it had come as he began shaking his head no. "Absolutely not! Do you even know anything about her? She's one of the most brutal pirate captains on the West Blue. She's taken down some pretty tough Marines before! Call me a coward if you'd like, but I only take on people that I know I can beat."

Atori scowled, deeply. "Then what about all of those times we fought?" Seriously, Ches wasn't implying that he could beat him, right?

"Well…" he started, looking ready to agree, but Atori equipped the most menacing glare he could muster that made Ches immediately lose whatever train of thought he'd formed. "Uh…uh…um… I…"

Ato sighed. "Whatever. Just pay the bill, maybe we'll see each other around sometime." _Hopefully not_, he thought.

He moved towards the entrance, hearing Ches stand as well and head towards Sonya, presumably to pay. Atori was ready to follow more leads and decided to run by the dock and ask some of the people around there for any information. But he didn't make it to the door before this guy walked in, pausing in the doorway for a moment just to glare ahead. Ato followed the guy's look and saw that he'd locked eyes with Sonya.

The guy looked fairly young and wasn't near as tall as Atori, but he looked muscular in his own right. His skin was shaded decently, but not the near sun-kissed bronze that Ato had either. He wore a simple sleeveless, baggy grey shirt with a pair of even baggier orange cargo shorts, all kinds of shiny little ornaments on the sides of the shorts that made Ato wonder what the hell they all meant. Simple black shoes adorned his feet and back up top, the guy had a messy mop of black hair that framed his face in bangs that showed off his big and oddly-stunning red eyes. They looked like shining rubies really. Atori didn't get any more time to observe the guy before he started walking forward, those red orbs never leaving Sonya.

"I see you've come back!" the woman said, though it sounded more like a snarl as she stood her ground. The rest of the bar had even grown silent as they watched the event unfold. "Finally want to pay that tab of yours," she continued once he'd come to stand right in front of her, the bar being the only thing separating them.

"No," the guy answered, voice flat.

"Then what do you – hey!" she suddenly shrieked as the guy's hand swept by her like a whip, snatching the gold medallion she'd had around her neck off and bolted for the door. "Get back here!" Sonya leapt the bar and was already running to the entrance, but the guy was off like a bullet.

She stomped her foot angrily and then turned her furious eyes to Atori. "You look strong and athletic!" she growled, sizing him up in one fell swoop as he just stood there. "Go get back my medallion!" She moved over to Ato, literally pushing him out the door.

"But I –" he wanted to protest.

"Get it back and I promise you all the free drinks and gummies you can eat!" she added.

The drinks were good and let's face it, those gummies were to die for. "Right!" he answered, sprinting off after the man, not even looking back as he heard Ches call after him.

Back in the bar, Sonya was standing by the doorway with her hands on her hips as she watched Ches call out for Atori. "Don't look so worried, chess square!" she said with a shrug and turned back to her bar. She stopped when the old man from earlier was just watching her. "You too?" she asked of the man.

He just shrugged. "You sent that poor guy after a Teko, Sonya!" Sonya continued watching the man as if he was crazy while Ches was biting his nails from nervousness.

"What's so special about the Tekos?" she shrugged in reply and was almost around the bar when the man dropped the news on her.

"Because Sonya. You just sent that kid after a natural-born killer!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**I hope you enjoyed the start to this story of mine. It was an idea that I'd thought of a while back, but put on the backburner. It took reading Teruul's awesome "Race for One Piece" to inspire me to give this story another shot, and so here I am! Most One Piece OC stories start with someone proclaiming to be the next King of the Pirates, but that's just not how I saw this starting because, although the journey towards Pirate King will be a HUGE part of the story, Atori's journey to find his brother will be just as significant. All and all, I expect this story to breach 200 chapters easily if I stay devoted to updating as I should, which I promise to at least attempt to do.**

**For any of you creative readers, I'm not looking for OC's. Sorry. Trying to implement extra characters would be way to hard for me. I've pretty much mapped out everything from now until the crew reaches Sabaody, and even then there are still some details that I haven't quite ironed out. So, yeah. Not accepting OC's. I hope that doesn't deter anyone from reading, though.**

**This story of mine might not come out as awesome as Teruul's - in fact, I'd consider it a huge success if it's even half as good - but I hope I can still entertain any and all readers. I hope you'll continue reading and following the adventure with me. I can definitely promise that it'll be a wild ride!**

**Until next time!**


	2. Confront the Red-Eyed Thief!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"Confront the Red-Eyed Thief! A Network of Friendship!"**

Atori zipped around corners, leapt rooftops, and ducked through as many alleyways as he could find. Just where in the world had that red-eyed guy gone to?

He stopped running and trekked through the street, from the looks he'd ended up in some kind of marketplace judging by all of the various food venders. Moving out of randomness, he walked over to the nearest vender. "Hey, excuse me?" he called, the kindly old lady taking her eyes off of her various fruit to look up. "Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me. I'm looking for a guy – about this tall, black hair, orange shorts and –"

"Big red eyes that look like rubies?" the woman finished, though her expression soured quite a bit.

"Um, yeah. He stole something and –"

"No need to finish darling," the woman waved off his words. "That boy's always in some kind of trouble. He just blew in one night and since then it's just been one thing after the next. That damned Teko family just can't die in peace I see."

"Um –?" this was getting awkward.

"Oh sorry, dear. You can find that boy near the Eastern shore. He's always over there doing something or another. Be careful though, darling. He may not look it, but he's stronger than the average fellow. I hope you're good with those." She pointed to the metal tonfa sticking out of Atori's boots with a suggestive glance. "I'm sure you'll need them."

"Thanks a lot," he finished, rushing on, more to get away from the lady than to find the thief. "Teko family?" he asked to himself, the family not ringing a bell in his head. He shrugged and moved on to the eastern shore.

The Eastern shore was the more secluded docking area of the town. It looked pretty wrecked and Ato just figured that's why no one really used the area too much anymore. He stepped down a length of steps heading to the deserted docks when he caught sight of the guy. He was sitting on the ground, back to a barrel as he watched the medallion like he thought that it would disappear.

Atori cleared his throat rather loudly to get the guy's attention.

He looked up, saw Ato, and immediately sprang to his feet, hands shoving the medallion into his pocket. "What do you want?" he snarled.

Ato continued walking until he'd reached the flattened area of the deserted dock, eyes never breaking from mister ruby eyes. "That medallion you've got there. I need it back," he called, not surprised when the guy made no move to retrieve it from his pocket. "It's not yours, so just hand it over and I can get on with my life."

"It _is_ mine!" he demanded. "That woman stole it from me and I stole it back. Simple!"

"No." Atori reached for his tonfa, seeing that this wasn't going to be resolved without the use of violence. "You're simple if you think I'm going to believe that. Now, I've been running around like an idiot looking for you. I'm not going back empty handed. Either hand it over or I break your hands so that you don't have to worry about those sticky fingers anymore and I _take_ it from you."

"I'd like to see you try," he seethed in response, his body lowering to the ground like some kind of animal as his eyes burned a whole it Atori's face.

Ato sighed, _no more words then_. He kept the woman's warning in mind as he sped over to the guy, making sure to keep his tonfa braced for a quick defense. He slammed the blunt head of the weapon right into the ground, missing as the guy jumped back quickly. The second tonfa whipped around, whipping through the air when the guy ducked under the attack. Ato kept spinning, using the momentum to kick the red-eye in his stomach, sending the poor guy gliding over the ground before falling onto it.

Red eye didn't stay down long though before leaping back to his feet, the kick hardly seeming to faze him. Ato held his ground, not even blinking as the guy suddenly charged him with fists raised and ready. He jumped back then leapt to the side as the fists whipped out at him. Red eye was fast, he'd give him that much, but he was no master fighter.

Ato dodged around another punch before meeting the second one with his left tonfa, leaving the guys fist to smack right into the metal. He then sent the right tonfa to red eye's arm, knocking the appendage away as he spun and sent the left tonfa right for the guys jaw. Ato could help but smirk as he heard metal strike and red eye was sent sprawling onto the ground again. If this had been one of those underground fights, Ato would've finished it already, but he was trying to be nice.

"I'm only going to give you one last opportunity to hand it over. You won't beat me, so quit wasting time and just give up!"

"NEVER!" the guy snarled, shocking Atori as he sprang off the ground using his arms and dropkicked him in the gut.

Ato hit the ground hard and red eye was already above him with a fist raised. He snapped his head to the side just in time as the fist crashed into the cement beneath him. Ato heard the cement crack from impact. Seeing just how strong this guy might be, Ato slammed the tonfa to red eye's face, first left then right like punches, but the guy held strong and then pinned Ato's arms to the ground to stop the weapons.

"I'll never give up!" he yelled again, nose nearly brushing against Atori's they were so close. The guy's eyes were practically dancing with anger and determination. "Not to you or anyone else!" he added with a growl.

Ato sneered. "Good luck with that!" before shifting his arms, throwing off red eye's balance, and then spun over to knock the guy off of him. Red eye rolled across the ground and before he could completely get back to his feet Ato was there, tonfa raised and ready. "Pivotal Point!" he exclaimed, slamming both ends of the weapon right for the guy's skull, striking the temples on either side before spinning with a heel kick that sent red eye rolling across the ground.

Atori sighed. "If you're lucky, I didn't just break your skull. Either way, this fight is over." He placed his tonfa back into his boots and folded his arms as he leered at red eye. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before stealing." Then, he paused. The guy was getting up, he was actually getting up after that. No one got up after that attack.

"I told you…" he growled, sounding to be in pain, but moving nonetheless. "I didn't steal anything! It belonged to me!" He stood to his feet, wobbling slightly as he tried to stand erect. "And I told you that I'll never give up!" He stood up straight, chest poked out as he glared down Atori. "I will never lose to you or anyone else because I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

"There you go with that crap again!" Both fighters whipped their heads over in the direction of the voice, watching as Sonya and Ches descended the stairs. The woman held a fierce glare as she met the dock and stomped right over to red eye. "You've got some nerve you know!"

Red eye glared at here like he'd never seen a human. "Me?! You sneak up to me while I'm sleeping, steal my medallion, and then send this guy after me when I come to take what's mine back!" he demanded, making Atori raise a questioning eyebrow at the situation.

Sonya smacked him on the head, hard. "Well maybe if you start paying your tab every now and again, then I wouldn't have to send out a debt collector!"

"Oi! Debt collector?" Ato grimaced.

"And you!" she stomped over to Atori, hands on hips as she glared him down although he was obviously taller. Before he could've stopped it, two strong hits come at the back of his head. Wonder how she reached up there so quick? "I told you to get the medallion back, not beat the poor kid half to death!" She pointed back over at red eye, noting the bruises on either side of his face and the trail of blood coming from his mouth. "Couldn't you have been a little more careful? Dead men don't pay you know!"

"And how come you didn't tell me that you'd stolen the medallion from him in the first place?!" Ato fired back, holding back the urge to growl in her face as he had a tendency to do.

Two more hits struck. "Don't disrespect your elders!" she demanded before stomping off. "Now then, you need medical attention," she gestured to red eye. "And you could use a stiff drink after all of that hard work, my trusty debt collector." She pointed to Atori and winked when he rolled his eyes. "Come along my troublesome trio!" Sonya was already halfway up the stairs before the three moved along.

Red eye held a long glare on Atori before walking off. Ches almost instantly ran up to his side with a big dumb smile. "Can't believe you survived a fight with Atori, Ralli! You really are strong!" Ches burst with a big laugh as Ralli said something back and they continued on.

Atori trudged along as he watched red eye. _Ralli, huh? Ha! Pirate king my ass!_

* * *

"What kind of barkeep treats the injuries of an unpaying customer and then gives him free drinks afterward?" Atori grouched, sitting at the bar with Ches and Ralli as Sonya stood opposite the trio, looking as relaxed as possible.

"Hey! I'm a nurse first, a barkeep second, and a shameless thief third, ya know!" She stuck out her tongue and winked a sly one at Ato as he rolled his eyes. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for those red eyes of his or maybe it's his personality. It reminds me a lot of Marty's when we'd first met."

"Who's Marty?" the trio seemed to ask simultaneously.

She giggled. "Oh yeah, guess you don't know him since he's been gone the past couple of weeks. Marty's my husband." She flashed her wedding ring for good measure. "He's the owner of the bar actually. Former marine, ya know."

"Really?" Ches asked, sipping on his sake as he actually looked interested in the story.

"Yep!" she chimed, looking far off as she thought back. "They called him 'One-Shot' Marty because he was the best gunner around. Him and Daddy the Father would have duels all of the time. It was fun to watch."

Atori ignored the fact that he didn't know who Daddy the Father was and asked, "Did you two meet in the Marines? It would explain your attitude. I could see you chasing pirates."

Sonya nearly fell onto the floor she'd laughed so hard, clutching at her stomach like it hurt. "No no no! God, no! I wasn't a Marine, silly," she finally said, though she was a bit out of breath. "I was a pirate!"

This seemed to pique Rally's interest because he nearly shot over the counter with intrigue. "Really! Were you famous? Did you do a lot of fun stuff? How was it?" he asked, looking like a dog that had seen a bone.

She waved off his questions. "Not at all. Not famous and to be honest, not a lot of fun. It wasn't a particularly fun experience." She paused, thinking back on it with gloomy look. "My captain was no one special. He was a bastard really. Attacked anything and anyone he felt like, whenever he felt like. That's how I'd ended up joining the crew. He'd attacked my town and I was really only a nurse in training at the time, but I was forced to join because of my medical skill. It wasn't fun at all. I was ecstatic when the Marines finally caught up to him and who else but my Marty would come to my aid when the bastard of a captain had begun throwing his own crew at Marines as a diversion to get away."

The three listened with focused interest as she watched the floor, obviously avoiding a painful though.

"They never caught him though, but that was over a decade ago so I'm sure he's gotten what he deserves by now. Anyways, that would explain my feistiness, Atori." She offered him another of her cunning smirks. "So if you're really going to be a pirate, Ralli, you'd better be a good one and not go around ruining people's lives. Otherwise, I'll gather all of Marty's guns and chase you down myself!"

Ralli chuckled, sipping his drinking from a straw. "Yes ma'am."

"So why did Marty leave?" Ches asked again. "Um, if you don't mind me asking," he added after a moment.

"No problem," she offered. "Marty was called on by an old friend who's still in the Marines. He sometimes goes off to help with certain stuff. You know, gunner type stuff. Jon Jon says he won't have any other gunman on his ship other than Marty."

Ches nearly choked on his drink as he'd been listening, so much so that some of it came from his nose and Ralli laughed. "D-did you just say Jon Jon? As in Commander Jon Jon!" he shouted, drawing some looks from other patrons in the bar.

Her smile was back on. "Yeah, Jon Jon and Marty are like best friends. They joined the Marines together. So you'd better be careful what you do around here. I might call him in to have you guys hauled in." And there was another of those winks.

"I'm not scared of any Marine!" Ralli demanded, slamming a fist on the bar with resolve.

Ches looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you joking, you idiot? This is Commander Jon Jon we're talking about! He's the toughest Marine in the West Blue and has taken down some huge names. That man's like a legend. Have you never heard of him?"

Ralli shook his head no, not at all looking impressed with the Marine's credentials. "Never heard of him and don't care to hear about him! And he's not the toughest Marine in the West Blue either. I'll become King of the Pirates whether he stands in my way or not!"

"But-but-but-" Ches stammered, unable to form a coherent thought.

"Well this was fun," Atori interrupted, hopping from his seat with a yawn. Too much stuff had happened today and yet none of it was productive to his real journey. "But I've got other things to do while the sun is still up. Thanks for the distraction though." He paused, looking at Sonya. "Being a former pirate, would you happen to know anything about other pirates around here?"

"Like?" she asked and Atori handed her the photo, explaining that he needed to find the pirates of the ship. Sonya sadly shook her head. "Sorry. The jolly roger seems familiar, but I can't place it."

Atori sighed, stuffing it back into his pocket. "Why are you looking for them?" Ralli suddenly asked, making the first comment towards Ato since they'd returned.

The guy's expression was pure curiosity, like a child's, as he watched Atori for an answer. For some odd reason, Ato actually had to hold back the urge to tell him. Weird. Instead, he locked eyes with the red eye, fixing him with one of his patented glares that said everything that words couldn't.

"You've got scary eyes," the kid piped up, sipping through the straw like he hadn't just locked eyes with Otami Atori.

Atori just huffed and headed towards the door. He heard footsteps and paused. He looked over his shoulder. Ches and Ralli were out of their seats and behind him. "Yes?" he questioned, not bothering to restrain the terseness in his voice.

Ches and Ralli looked between one another before looking back at him as if he had grown a second head. "We're coming to help, Atori!" Ches chirped.

"Yeah, Ato! We're going to help," Ralli added with a big smile.

Atori fully turned to face them, green eyes locked on them like a snake's on its prey. "First off, don't call me Ato. Secondly, the last thing that I need, are two idiots in my way. The adults have a job to do so why don't you two kids go play elsewhere."

Sonya made a hissing sound as if she'd just burned herself. "Sharp tongue you've got there, Atori" she called, watching the scene with avid glee.

She was ignored though as Atori horned in on the two pest in front of him. Ches took a step back, but Ralli only smiled wider. "Stop joking, Ato! What are friends for?" he called, pushing Ches forward and breaking Ato's glare as he happily patted the guy on the shoulder and kept walking. "C'mon, let's go while the sun is still out!"

"Friends?" Atori muttered to himself, turning to look over his shoulder at the idiotic smile on Ralli's face. The smile seemed to fit the red eye more than Ches's. "Did I damage his brain in our fight?"

* * *

"Does no one know where the hell this ship is going?!" Atori growled after asking the thirteenth person he could find at the docks. By now, the sun had dropped and night was taking over. "And now it's too dark for anyone else to see the picture. _Perfect_!"

"C'mon Ato, it'll get better," Ralli called from a nearby set of barrels, the red eye and Ches seated happily as they watched Atori. "Maybe there'll be more people to ask in the morning."

An hour ago, he probably would've tried to drown Ralli for calling him "Ato" again, but at this point, Atori was too exhausted to care. He looked over at the seated duo and decided a bit of companionship couldn't hurt. At least for tonight.

He walked over, hopping onto a barrel nearest Ches. "It's my brother," he said, finally answering Ralli's question. Maybe it was exhaustion, but he didn't care. He felt like telling someone at the moment. "He was kidnapped from our village and taken hostage on this ship." He waved around the photo viciously with the thought. "He's all that I have left and I refuse to let him stay aboard that ship any longer than he has to. And when I rescue him, I'm going to fucking murder every last person aboard that damned ship and set the whole thing on fire like they did my home."

After a long pause, Ralli finally spoke up. "I'll help you too!"

If Atori hadn't heard the words for himself, he wouldn't have believed them. "What?"

"I said that I'll help you get your brother back. No one has the right to take family from someone else, especially for no reason. I hate people like that!" he demanded, his bright red eyes looking at Atori with conviction. They were like little balls of fire, red lights glowing in the night and it was just then that Ato noticed that the boy's eyes weren't just red. They also had a pattern seemingly drawn right into the red coloring, like the black outlining of a diamond that made four prongs all around the pupil. It was very thin and hardly noticeable, but made Ralli that much more exotic of a person.

"Crap, Ralli! Your eyes are glowing!" Ches shrieked.

"W-what?" he asked, the resolved expression blinking away as he looked at the rainbow.

And Ches was right. Ralli's eyes were standing out as brightly as Ches's clothes in the darkening evening. Make that a second thing that made the red eye an exotic person. "He's right!" Ato called, looking quite shocked. He thought his eyes were unique; they had nothing on Ralli's.

"Well make them stop or something!" Ralli called, moving towards Ches, though the rainbow was practically in Atori's lap trying to get away from the demonic looking Ralli. "Stop running, Ches!"

"Stop moving towards me then! I can't help you! There your eyes, Ralli!" he shrieked before falling to the ground when Atori pushed him away.

"Aaah!" Ralli shrieked, moving his hands to his face and seeing the light give off a faint glow against his palm. "Ato, do something! Help me! My eyes are glowing!"

"Have you tried pulling a drawstring or something? You know, like you would for a lamp," he replied, looking as serious as humanly possible before nearly falling off the barrel laughing at the look on Ralli's face.

Ralli paused for a long moment and then looked back to Atori with a very serious look on his face. "Do you think it'll work?" he asked, devoid of any humor.

Atori really did fall off the barrel laughing, he laughed so hard that his stomach hurt as he rolled on the ground and every time Ralli asked what was so funny, Ato laughed that much harder. Ches had even started laughing, leaving Ralli to just look at them as if they were crazy. Atori couldn't even remember the last time he'd laughed like this.

But it all ended when they heard gunfire. All sound ended on their part as they heard more fire, yelling, and then sounds of fighting. Ches and Atori bolted from the ground and all three ran towards the sound, seeing a pirate ship on the far end of the dock.

Ches's eyes narrowed in on the dim area, but shot wide open when he realized who it was. "I think that's Madame Kissaru's ship!"

* * *

**Yay! Atori is making friends! Well, sort of. And now some action with the mighty Madame Kissaru. Wonder what's got the tyrannical pirate captain in such a fuss? Check back next week as the story continues to unfold. =)**


	3. Ralli's Infectious Resolve!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"A Run-in with the Kissaru Pirates! Ralli's Infectious Resolve!"**

After a brief run, they stopped at the front of the ship, the railing far too high for them to jump to and they weren't about to run the risk of climbing aboard using the ladder.

"I wonder what's going on up there," Atori muttered to himself, but Ralli had an answer.

"Let's see!" the red eye chirped, snatching the duo in hugs before leaping off of the ground and taking them right to the railing.

Atori and Ches made a mental note to ask Ralli about being able to do that later, but they all focused in on the fighting in front them. Kissaru and her crew were shooting everywhere, the swords and various weapons running around in desperate attempts to hit something or someone. They looked like they were completely out of it as they attacked the darkness, but that's when the trio finally saw it. A person, seeming to appear out of nowhere, leapt aboard the second level railing. A black cloak covered them from head to toe as they held onto a large sack of what the trio could only assume was treasure.

"How dare you rob me, you dirty bandit?!" Kissaru cried, aiming her rifle for the person. "Damn you! I'll drag you all across the West Blue when I get my hands on you! Do you hear me?!" She fired and the bullet whizzed through nothing but air as the person literally disappeared.

He then reappeared, warping out of thin air as he used Kissaru's face as a platform and stepped off of the pirate captain's face to leap the ship. The bandit passed right over the seated trio, his dark mask looking at them for only a moment before he disappeared again.

"Who was that?" Ralli asked, looking all wide-eyed and happy.

"YOU!" they all whipped back over to Kissaru and her crew, who all had their guns aimed at the trio. "Who are you?" she demanded, face contorted into pure rage. "You're with _him_, aren't you?!"

Ches looked ready to answer, but didn't get the opportunity.

"Kill them! Kill them all! And get my treasure back!" Kissaru screamed as the guns fired off at the trio.

Ralli, Atori, and Ches all leapt from the railing just as the bullets struck. They landed carefully back onto the dock and were off to some kind of safe haven as they heard the ruckus of angry pirates behind them.

"Dammit! That bastard just set us up for thievery and we're not even going to get a cent of that money he stole!" Atori growled, leaping from the ground when a bullet struck between his legs. "Oh crap!" he hissed before turning back to the crew of pirates that were trailing not too far behind. "Crap they're fast!"

"Why're we running anyway?" Ralli demanded, stopping on a dime as Ches and Atori skid to a halt. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Tell that to the pirates chasing us with guns!" Ches reasoned desperately.

"I don't care!" Ralli spun on his heel to the approaching pirates, face full of determination. "I'm not going to run from these guys. How could I ever hope to become pirate king if I can't stand them down?"

"Kid, don't sit here and die over some stupid dream," Atori yelled.

"It's not a stupid dream!" Ralli roared, his head whipping back to Ato and his eyes were glowing with newfound passion. "My dream is no more stupid than yours is to find your brother, Ato! So never call it stupid again!" The conviction in the boy's voice even made Atori quiet any protests.

The crew of pirates stopped their chasing, easing to a cautious walk as they neared the trio. From the looks of it, there were probably close to thirty of them. Even with those odds – mixed with the addition of firearms and swords – Ralli held his ground. It wouldn't have mattered if thirty turned to three thousand. Ralli wasn't going anywhere.

With a grunt of irritation, Atori moved to stand at Ralli's side and Ches, begrudgingly followed.

"Pardon us, gentlemen," a voice called to them from within the crowd. Soon enough, a man stepped from its confines. He couldn't have been much taller than Ralli. He had pale skin, so pale it looked grey in the night, and he was dressed like some sort of convict in his dark purple jumpsuit that looked black in the darkness. A red ribbon up top held back a mess of dirty blonde hair and he had the facial features of a blowfish. Really ugly guy. "My name's Burty," the fish looking guy said, waving a hand over for a bow. "Our captain is unable to come down from the ship at the moment. As I'm sure you can imagine, she is blind with rage and only our first mate has the skill to calm her at the moment. Right about now, she's on the verge of blowing this whole town sky high." Burty looked over to the town wistfully, as if imagining the whole place in cinders. "It would be a real shame to see all of those people die, but it really can't be avoided if Madame Kissaru is unable to get her treasure back. She went through an awful lot to get that, you know."

"By 'awful lot,' do you mean killing and stealing from every person that she could come across?" Ches surprisingly demanded, his cowardice seeming to have flown south. Maybe he thought he could take Burty.

Burty grew a sickening smile, but didn't deny the allegation. "Simply put, give us back the treasure or Kaishi Island gets a makeover and we rip out your organs for new decorations."

"That's all?" Atori called, with a disinterested folding of his arms. "How about you get lost before I cut off your head and mount it on a stick for roasting, you fucking blowfish."

"If we had your money, we'd give it back, but we don't," Ralli answered before Burty could comment.

Burty stopped giving Atori the evil eye and then focused in on Ralli, that sickening smile returning. "Boy, if you think I'm dumb enough to believe that, then you're dumber than you look! There's no other reason for you three to have been on our ship at that very moment other than to have been working with the bandit. Now just tell us where we can find that low down thief and I might decide not to kill you!"

"I wish I could say that you were as dumb as you looked, but that's a physical impossibility, even though you're trying your hardest to surpass that with these threats." Atori had already pulled his tonfa, eyes dangerous as they watched the group. "We already told you that we didn't have anything to do with it."

"You're really wasting time while the real criminal gets away," Ches added and Atori noticed that he'd pulled two knives from his coat. That's right! Ches was a knife fighter, pretty skilled at it if Atori was a judge. But, for some odd reason, he was terrified of the sight of blood, which was dumb considering that he fought with weapons designed to draw blood.

Whatever. As long as he didn't mess up and die in this fight, all would be good.

"No! You three are wasting my time! Kill them all men!" Burty roared, yanking a metal club from his side as his crew dove into battle, all weapons aimed ahead.

The trio jumped into battle with no hesitation. Ralli lunged right for Burty while Atori swung his tonfa through the crowd taking out at least two from the momentum. Ches was slipping around the crowd, cutting shallow slashes across his enemies as he simultaneously swung around with kicks and punches.

Atori leapt above and flipped his tonfa around in mid-air, extending his range greatly, before falling back into the crowd. He spun around like a whirlwind, yelling "Serpent Slither!" as his weapons sent enemies flying away from him. He paused for just a moment to smile before his head snapped over in the direction of an enemy, hearing the hammer of their gun snap back. The gun fired and instead of dodging, Atori flipped the metal tonfa up, allowing his weapon to deflect the bullet. The poor pirate gulped visibly and Ato was already on him with a tonfa to the face.

Ches sidestepped a punch from a pirate and swung his knife up to meet another's blade. He pushed the weapon aside, lunged to kick the pirate aside, and then spun through the air before flinging a knife to the chest of another pirate that had been ready to fire their gun. He landed, dodged two pirates before pulling another knife from his coat and ducking low to slice at the enemy's legs and then rushing back through the crowd to avoid seeing their bloody wounds.

Ralli dodged the first swing of Burty's club, the second, and then third before lunging in for a fierce uppercut. He aimed to swing another until two pirates yanked him up by his arms, leaving him open as Burty lifted the mallet for impact. The second the blowfish pirate dropped the large weapon, Ralli yanked the other pirate holding him in for the impact. The pirate was knocked unconscious and Ralli spun to throw the other pirate into Burty. He then dodged a sword swipe before swinging a roundhouse kick into another pirate's face.

The fight might've last all of ten minutes but Kissaru's entire crew was cut down to just one, just one Burty. The blowfish looking pirate was standing amongst his crewmates, looking anything but confident as Ralli, Atori, and Ches took one step towards him.

"Y-you think you're so tough!" he yelled, simultaneously moving back with each step the trio took. "I-I…when Madame Kissaru hears about this, she'll skin all of you alive!"

"Who said we're going to let you make it back to her?" Atori chimed, a few drops of blood dripping from his tonfa as he took another step forward.

Burty visibly tensed and turned a frightened head back to the pirate ship in the distance, looking as if he wanted to start yelling for help.

Ches saved the man though as he held up a halting hand to Ralli and Atori. "Let him go," he said, drawing surprised looks from the two, but Ches only held eyes for Burty. "Let him go tell Madame Kissaru how his crew of thirty men had failed to beat three little pests and how he'd tucked tail and ran instead staying to fight for their treasure. Kissaru will handle him for us." The cunning glint in Ches's brown eyes spoke volumes. Atori was impressed.

Ralli laughed. "That's smart, Ches!" He gave Burty one scrutinizing look before turning away. "Let's go, guys."

A humming laugh poured from Atori as he and Ches turned on Burty, lazily walking away from the war zone, champions. "C-come back here!" the man screamed. "Come back here and fight me dammit! I-I won't let you leave!"

But the trio were already off into the night and Burty was trembling in his boots as he looked back at Madame Kissaru's ship.

* * *

"Atori, you've…" Ches paused, sounding like he was trying to swallow gravel. "…you've got something on your face."

Ato looked down, barely catching the glimpse of blood at the bottom of his face and neck. He quickly wiped it up with his shirt and was glad that it was red to hide the sight. "Thanks," he replied, watching curiously as Ches seemed to lose a little color in his face. Part of him wanted to know why Ches was so sickened by blood, but decided tonight wasn't the night to ask. "So, what do we do now?" he instead asked as they walked the quiet streets of the town.

Ches reclaimed some kind of semblance and said, "I don't think we have to worry about Madame Kissaru for now. Most, if not all, of her crew is unconscious, so I doubt she has the man power to run through the city and destroy it. Then again, from what I hear, she's all the man power she needs."

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Ralli said, hands behind his head as he walked. The glow in his eyes had faded, obviously meaning he'd calmed considerably. "I tend to be a night owl anyway, so it's no big deal."

Ches and Atori watched the red eye for a long moment before accepting the offer. And then, they all paused, stopped in the middle of the road after a long day with one another.

"I don't know about you two, but this has been the most fun I've had in a while," Ches chimed with a big smile. "We should do it more often."

"Yeah! You guys are awesome!" Ralli agreed, his own teeth shining in the moonlight as he smiled big.

Atori watched the two idiots fondly. In small ways, they both reminded him of Dallis, especially Ralli. As much as he didn't want to, he smiled too. "Don't expect us to do it again tomorrow, though. I've had my fill of pirate fights," he laughed a bit when Ches gave him a knowing look.

"So we'll see each other tomorrow, right Ato?" Ralli asked, his eyes watching the tall brunette carefully.

As much fun as he'd had, Atori did have a job to do. It was going to be full on Dallis search time tomorrow. "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you," he warned and turned away to leave.

Ralli chuckled. "Yeah, whatever Ato! I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, you guys. And be careful watching Kissaru, Ralli," Ches warned before heading off as well.

"Right!" the boy answered, standing in place as he watched his two friends off.

The next day came relatively quickly and Atori was already back out on the hunt. It wasn't long into the morning, maybe around 9 o'clock as he walked the docks, asking anyone he had missed yesterday evening about the photo. So far, he'd learned of what direction the pirates were sailing in, which did offer at least minor help, but he still needed to learn more. Surely someone had to know something about these ghost pirates.

"Hey Ato!"

"Hey Ralli."

Atori froze and looked to his side, just now realizing the red eye had been walking alongside him. He was tempted to ask how long the kid had been there, but shrugged it off when Ralli smiled a big one. "How'd things go last night?" he instead asked as they made their way through the mass of people at the dock, some workers and some just bustling about the day. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen her ship at the docks today." He looked around for just moment to scan.

"They left I guess. It must've been pretty late, after I'd gone to sleep, but when I woke up the ship was gone." Ralli shrugged as if he could've cared less.

"So there were no issues at all?"

"Nah! Although, I think Burty got beat up though," he chimed, arms resting lazily behind his head as he thought back to the previous night. "There was a lot of screaming and 'No, Madame Kissaru, no!' It was kind of funny to hear." He smiled like a little kid.

Atori chuckled a bit himself, pleased to hear of the blowfish's misfortune. "Serves him right." They continued walking as Ato scanned the crowd of people for someone that looked helpful. Then Ralli spoke up.

"So, Ato, when are we going to fight again?"

Atori stopped again and watched the child-like curiosity dance on Ralli's face. "Typically, I only fight people that piss me off. Either that or for money." He kept walking, Ralli moving in step with him. "Why?"

"Because it was fun fighting you!" Ralli instantly cheered, making Atori wonder about the brain damage thing again. "Ches had told me you were tough, and he was right. We were really going easy on each other and then Sonya showed up just when things were getting real fun. That last hit you gave me had really hurt, ya know!"

Atori glared at him for a moment before turning forward again. "It was supposed to hurt! In any event, I wouldn't hold my breath on another fight. Unless of course you're about to tell me that you're actually the bastard that had my brother stolen and this happened in some sort of elaborate ruse to piss me off." He looked over at the boy once again, noting that ever present grin.

"Nope!"

"Well then, no fight for you." Atori stepped on ahead of Ralli, hearing that the red eye was on the verge of whining, and walked over to a dock worker, a worker he knows that he didn't speak to yesterday evening. "Hey, excuse me," he called, getting the man's attention from whatever papers he had on the clipboard.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering have you seen this ship recently?" He handed the man the photo, watching as the worker scrutinized it closely before a light bulb seemed to go off in his head.

"Yes, actually I have!" the man explained, giving the photo back. "It was here about three days ago, I think. And the reason I remember it was because the captain had asked some of the workers to do a small repair on the inside. It looked like some kind of explosion had gone off or something; an entire wall was blown out. I got no clue how though." He paused, tapping his chin and looked off as he thought more. "Can't remember their names or anything. Really, we were all just trying to hurry up the job so they could leave. We don't like to have pirates around longer than they need to be."

"Do you know where they might've been going? Overhead any conversations or something? It's really important that I find this ship and soon!" Atori said, trying his hardest not to shake the answers from the man's body.

The worker looked apologetic. "Sorry, but that's all that I know." Ato looked truly defeated until the worker suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah! Old man Ricket!"

"Who?" both Atori and Ralli asked at the same time.

The man chuckled a bit. "He's like our supervisor. The man's been here for decades, maybe even centuries." The worker laughed again, but Ato glared at him to get to the point. "He oversaw the small repair job, but he seemed the most uneasy about the pirates. And when they'd finally left, I'd heard him talking to some other workers about them. I'm not promising that he has any information, but if anyone around here knows something about them, I'm pretty sure it's Old man Ricket."

Atori could've hugged the guy. This was the best bit of information he'd received thus far about the pirates. "Where can I find him?" he demanded, trying to play it nice, but failing a bit.

The worker startled a little at Atori's tone, but didn't run off, though he looked like might've wanted to. "Um…I have no idea where he lives, but he comes by the docks everyday around mid-afternoon. If you want to see him, come by then. He's usually here until late into the evening."

Ato fought the urge to slouch at the thought of more waiting, but he thanked the guy kindly and moved on, Ralli on his heel. "Well, it may not have been what you wanted, but it's still good news, right Ato?" the red eye called.

The kid sounded hopelessly optimistic, but Atori decided not to comment on it. Instead, he opened his mouth to ask had Ralli seen Ches yet, but didn't get the opportunity before a bunch of people began running in panic. Ato and Ralli stopped their walk to watch as the citizens ran off into the city, some screaming in horror.

Atori stopped the first person he could get his hands on – a blonde woman who looked on the verge of a heart attack. "What's going on?" he demanded.

The woman looked scatterbrained for a brief moment before shrieking, "It's that awful pirate, Madame Kissaru! She's going on some kind of rampage over at the One-Shot Tavern! They say she's gotten the barkeep, Sonya!"

"NO!" Ralli was the first one out of sight, running for the bar and Atori wasn't far behind him as they ran to Sonya's aid.

* * *

**How was that? A little more action on Kaishi Island! And now Madame Kissaru has gone ballistic! Sucks that Ato isn't getting any leads on his brother, but oh well. Patience is a virtue.**

**But you guys don't need patience because I'll be updating again this Monday! Feeling generous this week XP. See ya next time!**


	4. A Trio of Saviors!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"Attack on the Town! A Trio of Saviors!"**

* * *

Madame Kissaru yanked Sonya across the ground, pulling the feisty bartender by her hair as she kicked and thrived beneath the hold. Behind the captain, her crew had front row seats to the show as more and more people arrived to see what was happening. The captain held a fierce smirked as she pulled especially hard on Sonya and snarled at the crowd.

"Last night, a low down, disgusting worm of a creature had the gall to board my ship and steal MY treasure," she began, waving around her massive axe as she spoke. She watched with morbid glee as a few citizens moved away with every swipe of the air she formed. "That was 5 million beri of my hard earned treasure!" Kissaru stomped her large boot into the crowd, the earth cracking from her weight and anger. "He calls himself the West Blue Pirate Bandit and I know he's still somewhere on this island! Last night, he had three accomplices that evaded my capture, and I know that they are here on this island as well! Now, I'm not a crass woman. I prefer to be kind, but when someone steals from me!" She laughed darkly. "Well let's just say that all kindness flies out of the window." For emphasis, she slices her axe through the air, a collection of citizens jumping back in fear as she did so.

"UGH! LET ME GO!" Sonya screamed, clawing at Kissaru's clutching hand as she tried to free herself.

Kissaru laughed, pulling her attention from the crowd to leer at the writhing woman in her clutches. "Now now, you little sea witch! You're not going anywhere!" she mocked, laughing right in Sonya's face.

The barkeep spat. "Fuck you, SEA COW!" she growled.

In an instant, Sonya was slammed face first into the dirt and Kissaru's boot stomped into her back to hold her. "You self-righteous little harlot!" She pointed the tip of her axe at the back of Sonya's neck as she snarled like a rabid animal and then turned back to the expectant crowd around her. "I want my dammed money back! And for every second I have to wait, SOMEONE DIES! Starting with this street trash!" It was her turn to spit down on Sonya, as tears flowed from the woman's eyes.

Kissaru raised the axe into the air with a mocking smirk. "Don't cry! I'll be sending Marty and Jon Jon to comfort you soon enough!" She glared back into the crowd, her smile never fading. "The clock starts NOW!"

The axe dropped from the air, people gasping, a few women screaming, and a sob tearing from Sonya's fearful mouth. But the weapon didn't get to connect before Ralli was in the way, his hand clutching angrily at the weapon's handle as his red eyes burned into Kissaru. The pirate captain had all of a second to be surprised before Ralli's other hand connected with a powerful uppercut that made Kissaru stagger back. She stopped herself after a few steps though, and turned back to Ralli with axe in hand. Yet, before she could attack, Atori leapt from behind red eye, tonfa aimed right for the madame. And when he struck, the tonfa took Madame Kissaru right off her feet as her head slammed down to the ground.

The crowd and Kissaru's crew were speechless.

"Damn, that felt good," Atori hissed before straightening up and turning back to Sonya and Ralli.

Red eye helped the fearful woman back to her feet and gently asked if she was okay. She nodded in the affirmative, but her eyes never seemed to calm as she looked back and forth between Ralli and Atori as if they had grown another head.

"Watch out!" someone suddenly screamed and Atori barely had a second to dodge the massive axe that nearly cut him right down the middle.

At the weapon's handle was a livid Kissaru. She had two bruised marks – one at her chin and the other at her forehead – and she was practically foaming at the mouth as she leered with utter hatred. "Kill them! Kill ALL of them! Kill every last person in this damned town and then I'm going to BLOW IT THE FUCK UP!" she all but screamed, inciting a roar of excitement from her crew before they rushed into the fleeing crowd.

Atori turned to Kissaru's crew and was ready to stop them, but he dodged back again from a sword swipe and then ducked under another swipe at his head. He leapt to the side, gazing across at his opponent, who was practically dancing with swords in hand as he watched Atori. Judging from the look of confidence he had, the guy was obviously that first mate that blowfish had mentioned last night. The guy was definitely more intimidating than Burty with his taller stature and muscled figure. He wore simple black pants with an opened, gold-embellished red vest that showed off his rigid core. Up top, he was bald but had a dark beard practically covering the bottom part of his face. "The name's Resk," the man quirked in a monotonous tone, stopping his leaping-like dance for only a moment to bow kindly, his long schimtar swords whisking through the air as he did so. "And for striking my captain, I'll be serving you your death for today. Be warned, though. I will be taking my sweet time in hearing every cry of agony as I slice you limb from limb." He began that obnoxious dancing again, but his face was all seriousness.

Atori smiled, raising the tonfa in defense. "You've got a stupid name, Resk, but an even stupider mind if you think you're going to beat me. I'll let you entertain me for the moment, though. So stop that idiotic dancing and bring it on!"

"As you wish!" Resk called, leaping at Ato like a pouncing tiger as his swords cleaved through the air for the attack.

* * *

Chaos flooded the streets as the citizens ran for their lives, the pirates hot on their tails as they wrecked anything and everything they could get their hands on.

Amidst the chaos, Burty was trotting through it with a hand full of explosives. "Just three more, three more!" he was muttering, his blowfish head whipping around back and forth for more good spots to set up. The guy looked like he'd been on the wrong side of a fight, a fight that didn't at all involve Ralli, Atori, or Ches. "If I do this right, Madame Kissaru is sure to forgive me!" he said, continuing to run until a barrel of water flew out of nowhere and knocked the pirate to the ground, his clothes – as well as the explosives – soaked. "No! The dynamite!"

"Oops! I should really watch what I'm doing," Ches mocked, feigning innocence as he jumped from the roof of a building. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his long trench coat as he glared down at Burty. "Too bad, though. It looked like you were doing something important."

The blowfish jumped back to his feet, all but growling as he did so, and locked eyes with Ches. "How dare you interfere with our business? You low class clown! If you knew what was good for you, you'd get lost before Madame Kissaru gets her hands on you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Ches answered, pulling a pair of knives from his pocket as he did so. "And neither are you for that matter."

Burty watched the weapons closely before carefully pulling his own weapon. "Don't make me laugh! I was paying enough attention to that little fight last night to know that you are definitely the weakest of the three. In fact, if I remember correctly, you couldn't even stand to look at blood! How pathetic!" Burty outright laughed, oblivious to Ches's scorn.

"I have no problem admitting that I'm weaker than Ralli and Atori. But even so, that doesn't mean you're a threat to me." He then smiled a sly one. "I only fight guys that I know I can beat!"

Burty grimaced at that. "Well then you've made a horrible choice, you worm!" the blowfish roared, lunging forward before slamming his mallet into the ground as Ches dodged back.

* * *

"C'mon Ralli. C'mon!" Sonya demanded, trying her hardest to yank Ralli away, but the kid's eyes were locked on Kissaru. He wasn't even budging an inch as he looked her up and down.

"I'm fine, Sonya. You go!" he offered, not turning away from Kissaru. "I'm fine right here."

Before Sonya could counter, Kissaru burst with laughter. "You're far from fine, you little ruby eyed brat! I'd tell you to run, but really, I want you right here so I can kill you myself."

Ralli growled in anger, but Sonya yanked him back roughly. "Idiot! This is no game here! That's 'Dynamite' Kissaru dammit! She blows up towns for fun and has attacked countless Marines! But she was called 'Axe Killer' long before because of that axe she swings, Ralli. She has a 19,000,000 beri bounty on her head for pete's sake! I know you want to be a pirate and all, but at least start small first!" She yanked the boy around to face her, tears rolling from her eyes as she locked eyes with Ralli to convey her emotions. "DON'T GET YOURSELF KILLED FOR ME, DAMMIT!"

Ralli settled his anger as he took a comforting hold of Sonya's arms. He smiled, not that huge grin like usual, but a small smirk that said everything that he didn't have time to say. He held her gaze for a long time before saying, "I won't die, Sonya. I promise."

Sonya didn't look especially convinced, but she blinked away the tears with a small smile. "Yeah kid. Now you're just like Marty." She patted him thoughtfully on the cheek before glaring around him at Kissaru, who was smiling proudly at their moment. She turned back to Ralli. "I'm going to trust you, but if you die, so help me! I'll kill my own self just to chase after your ghost and kick its ass!"

Ralli smiled wide at that. "Yes ma'am." They shared just a moment's gaze longer before Sonya turned to run off into the town, for who knows what. But he didn't focus on that. Ralli allowed his glare to settle again and then he turned back to Kissaru. "I'm going to make you pay for making Sonya cry like that!"

"Are you really?" she replied, swinging her axe lazily upon the ground as she smiled down at Ralli. "Let's just see about that, red eye. Show me what you've got."

"Here I come!" he roared, breaking off the ground into a sprint as he charged the large woman. "KISSARU!"

* * *

**Oooh! I felt so bad for Sonya when I wrote this. She's not even a main character, but she is my favorite one during this arc and the fact that Kissaru was ready to chop her to bits like that just made me mad while I was typing it. Kick Kissaru's gigantic ass Ralli! And Ato! Ches! Show them pirates who not to mess with! **

**Tell me what you guys think, don't be too shy to review ya know *wink* See ya again this Wednesday, folks! Yep! I said Wednesday and mean it! See ya!**


	5. Take Down the Kissaru Pirates!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"Save the Day Before the Bombs Explode! Take Down the Kissaru Pirates!"**

Sonya ran through the crowd of pirates, a large wooden 2x4 in her hands as she swatted at them. Using her medical skill, she struck in the most debilitating of places, not even caring if she had to fit a few below the belt. This was the third alleyway she'd cleared thus far, and thankfully she hadn't seen any more casualties – better put, no one had been killed…yet. But still, she pressed on, hammering at as many pirates as she could find because there was no way she'd go cower in a corner somewhere while all of these innocent people were killed.

"Get back!" she yelled, slamming the wooden block over the head of a pirate that had actually corned three kids – KIDS! for pete's sake. The man fell over in a slump and Sonya kneeled down to check them over. "Are you guys okay?" she asked in the nicest voice she could muster and from what she could see they were. Frigthened? Yes. But harmed? No, thankfully. "C'mon along with me. I'll find you all somewhere nice and safe, okay?" She tried to get them to follow, but they were rooted to the ground. In fact, their eyes seemed locked on something behind her.

"You're not going anywhere," a pirate's sick voice hissed from behind.

Sonya turned back to face the dirty man, and he looked to be the dirtiest and slobbiest of them all, but he had a gun. She held up her arms protectively of the children. "If you want to hurt me, fine! But let them go!" she demanded.

He snickered. "You're not exactly in a position to bargain anything, are you?" He looked her over up and down. Sonya resisted the urge to shiver at his disgusting eyes. "But maybe we can make a compromise."

She was on the man in a heartbeat. Her knee shot up to strike the pirate in his family jewels as she wrestled with the gun in his hand. "Run kids! Run!" They hesitated for all of a second before sprinting off down the road. Sonya watched until they were nearly out of sight before she was knocked to the ground.

"You sneaky wench! I'll kill you dead!" the pirate sneered, aiming his gun and looking ready to fire.

Sonya could only close her eyes in expectance, but the shot never came. Instead, she heard what sounded like a heavy punch and then barrels knocking over. She opened her eyes, indeed shocked to see the very pirate that had been ready to shoot her, knocked onto the ground unconscious. Then, her eyes rose to her supposed savior. He was a figure, covered in a black cloak that left absolutely nothing to be distinguished about him. Maybe _he_ wasn't even a he!

"Wh-who are you?" she asked, but didn't get an answer as the figure disappeared, literally disappeared into thin air. Sonya remained seat for just a few seconds to wrap her mind around what had just happened when she heard screaming. She jolted out of her own shock and jumped back to her feet, needing to continue helping.

She reached down and picked up the 2x4, but paused when she realized it was a brand new piece of wood, the other one still in pieces from when she'd knocked out that pirate. She smiled. "Thank you!" she called, not sure if the mysterious person heard her, but wanting to scream it anyway as she darted back off into the streets.

* * *

Atori swung forward, his tonfa meeting the saber blade with a loud clang before he leapt back to dodge another swipe. He ducked under another blade swipe and then brought up both tonfa to meet the other blade. He grunted behind the strength of the attack before dropping to the ground, allowing the blade to slide off as he dropped to the ground and kicked Resk right in the jaw.

He only had a moment to enjoy the look of pain on Resk's face before rolling away to dodge a stab of the swordsmen's blade. Atori rolled to his feet, but quickly moved once again when Resk threw his other blade to pierce his heart. The sword stabbed into the building behind Ato as the brunette moved aside and then ducked again as Resk leapt over to swipe at him with the other blade.

"You're quite strong, yet you prefer an evasive-based fighting style. You dodge around, sizing up your opponent and then move in for the attack at just the right moment," Resk noted, pulling his sword from the building as he watched Atori closely. "You're like a calculating snake, watching your opponent until the perfect moment to strike out with deadly fangs." He began that obnoxious leaping stance again as he sized up Ato.

Atori, on the other hand, merely smirked at the observation. "Nice metaphor, Resk, but I'd be more concerned with yourself right now. This snake's about ready to strike, and I can promise that it won't be pretty."

Resk lunged back over, practically leaping the space in one bound as his left saber sword sliced towards Atori's neck. Ato brought up the tonfa to block easily, leaving the two opponents to lock eyes for the briefest of moments. The glare of green orbs against black ones lasted all of two seconds before Resk stabbed out the other blade. Ato leapt back out of range of the blade and then slammed his left tonfa down to knock the sword aside before spinning to bring the other weapon around for the strike. Resk moved around the tonfa easily as he spun as well and knocked Atori aside with a strong heel kick.

With Ato sprawled out on the ground from the kick, Resk leapt into the air, both blades primed to stab. "Now you die!" he snapped, dropping from the air like a boulder.

Atori rolled out of the way just in time to keep from being impaled and did a couple quick handsprings to place distance between the two. He watched as Resk yanked his weapons from the dirt, his face still a blank mask of emotions. Atori offered a moment's glance into the chaotic-sounding streets. Kissaru had just let her pirates run wild and right now, no one was there to stop it. A glimmer caught Atori's eye and he looked back to the fight in just enough time to see the flying blade Resk had thrown at him once more. A tonfa went up automatically to deflect the sword and Ato hardly dodged being decapitated when Resk leapt over with his other sword.

"There you go with that again!" Atori scowled. "Throwing your swords around so haphazardly. What kind of swordsmen gives up their blade like that?"

Resk ignored him just long enough to retrieve the weapon and glare. "My swords are here to assist me in whatever way that they can. I do not owe them anything in the way that I handle them. You speak as if they're human," his monotone voice sounded as hollow as possible.

Atori scoffed. "A swordsmen with no pride in his weapons. I think I hate that about you more than anything else. You don't deserve to wield those blades, so I'll have to take them away from you, _permanently_."

Resk didn't seem at all fazed by the comment as he sprang over with both weapons raised for battle. And Atori didn't budge, not making a single move to dodge. He met Resk head on, their weapons clashing with the unmistakable sound of metal on metal. Atori swung his tonfa out to meet each of Resk's blades as they battled, it couldn't have been more perfect unless they'd both been wielding swords.

Resk swung down to cleave the sword through Ato's body, but the brunette sidestepped the attack and then brought the tonfa around, aiming for the sword instead of the swordsmen. "And this one is gone!" Ato called, slamming the blunt end of the tonfa right into the saber blade, the sheer impact making the weapon shatter.

Resk drew back with a start, showing the first true sign of emotions thus far as he looked at his shattered sword with dismay. Atori scoffed, drawing the bald swordsmen's attention. Resk scowled with so much fury, a lesser man would have taken a careful step back, but Ato remained steadfast. An animalistic growl rolling from Resk's lips, he lunged at Atori with his other sword, aiming to go for a quick kill.

Ato merely smiled. "Pivotal Point!" he exclaimed, crashing both tonfa into the incoming sword. A tremor rolled through the sharp weapon before it too shattered from the impact, leaving Resk in shock and awe.

"Maybe next time, you'll be more considerate of your weapons. You never know when they'll be taken from you," he chastised, not flinching in the slightest when Resk glared an army of daggers at him.

"I'll kill you with my bare hands!" the man roared, lunging at Ato again, this time with fists ready.

Atori ducked under the lunge, slithering around the pirate like the snake he'd been compared to earlier. He flipped his tonfa outward and spun around, the tips of the weapons aimed for the side of Resk's head. "Hebi Naito!" The weapons struck with a clang, Resk's eyes bulging from the impact before his entire body was lifted from the ground and he was thrown clean through a building.

Atori straightened back up and allowed the tonfa to drop back into his boots as he glared into the hole where Resk lie. "Anyone who disrespects their weapon in front of me gets it taken away. Simple as that." He then turned away as some loose wood fell into the whole. "Bastard."

* * *

Ches dodged back again and again, slipping by each of those powerful mallet slams Burty sent for him. He dodged to the side of another and was suddenly forced to the ground to dodge as the blowfish sent the weapon back up to knock Ches's head off. Acting quickly, the rainbow sliced up under Burty's arm holding the mallet and moved back when the pirate tried to grab at him.

"If you think that little gash is going to stop me, you're dead wrong!" Burty growled, chasing after Ches with the mallet raised for impact. The rainbow dodged to the side of the weapon, but was caught as Burty took a firm grasp of his trench coat. "Gotcha!" the blowfish cheered before pulling the mallet back up to strike.

Desperate, Ches pulled himself from the coat and rolled across the ground to dodge once again, but he grimaced once he'd realized he was left down to only two knives.

"What the hell do you keep in this thing?" Burty grouched, trying to balance the weight of Ches's trench coat and his large mallet. "It weighs just as much as my mallet."

The rainbow straightened up and smiled cunningly. "It's full to the brim with my knives, mate. I guess you could say I have a fetish for them." He shrugged away the defiant glare Burty sent him.

"I could care less." The blowfish tossed the coat far to the side and far out of Ches's reach. "It just means that I've essentially taken away your weapon. I've seen that you're quite good at throwing those. It's too bad you've only got two left. You might want to be careful about how you handle them." Burty seemed to smile as he spoke, pleased to have taken the collection of knives away from Ches.

But Ches hardly seemed fazed as he once again shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. When I throw a knife, it always hits its target." He spun the shuriken knives around lazily on his finger.

Burty didn't seem convinced as he stomped forward carefully, a lazy smile on his face as he prowled towards Ches. The rainbow watched the pirate with caution before sprinting off towards him, his eyes focused in on the blowfish before suddenly cutting off towards his knife coat. Burty seemed to anticipate this and was already moving over to cut Ches off, but the rainbow was a lot faster without the coat weighing him down.

Ches dodged around Burty's frame, but unfortunately not without getting his arm snatched in the process. "Sneaky little pest!" the blowfish roared as he spun with the mallet and crashed the weapon into Ches's back, sending the knife thrower sprawling out onto the ground in pain. "You're not as quick as you think!" Burty called, raising the mallet up to crash onto Ches again.

However, the rainbow flipped onto his back in time and slammed his boots up to stop the attack, his teeth clenching in deep concentration to hold the heavy mallet back. Beyond the mass of metal, he could see that sickening smile on Burty's face as the man pressed the weapon down with added strength. Just as the blowfish was ready to overpower, Ches threw his other knife into the man's shoulder, forcing Burty back with a pained howl.

Ches flipped over onto his feet and his head whipped over to his coat in desperation, but Burty was already moving in the way and the rainbow wasn't going to chance another direct hit from that heavy mallet.

With a deep growl, Burty yanked the knife out of his shoulder, his blood immediately pouring out of the wound and staining his dark jumpsuit. Ches grimaced from the sight. "Ah yes, the knife thrower that doesn't appreciate the sight of blood," the man chimed, not at all bothered by the wound. "How idiotic of you to wield a weapon practically designed to draw blood when you're afraid of it?" The blowfish reached into his suit, soaking his hand in the red fluid before pulling out to throw a few drops Ches's way.

The rainbow jumped back like a cat away from water, making Burty laugh deeply.

"And to make things worse, you actually had the nerve to come attack me of all people! Learn your place, you fucking disgrace!" Burty ran forward, a manic smile on his face as he charged.

Ches was stunned, too paralyzed to move as he focused in on the blood soaking through Burty's jumpsuit. By the time he'd realized what was happening, the pirate was upon him with the mallet raised and ready. Burty's mallet connected with the side of Ches's shoulder so hard, the knife thrower was nearly thrown through the wooden building on the street. He slumped against the building as pain radiated through his body and Burty stomped over.

"Trash like you doesn't deserve to live!" Burty raised the mallet, ready to crash over Ches's skull.

Instead, bolting up like a bullet, Ches slashed his knife through Burty's hand that had been holding the mallet. The blowfish shrieked in pain as blood gushed from the wound and Ches ran, trying his best to ignore the sight of blood on his knife. The rainbow heard Burty running after him and stopping on a dime, Ches spun around threw the knife, the sharp weapon spinning through the air like a boomerang at the blowfish pirate.

Burty narrowly dodged getting the knife between his eyes before looking back at Ches with a grin. "And that takes all of those knives of yours. Was it really worth it?" the pirate mocked, holding his mallet in the other hand as he took a step towards Ches, although he stopped when he noticed that the rainbow was actually smiling.

Before the blowfish could ask, Ches spoke up. "I told you, Burty, I only fight guys that I know I can beat. And even though you stopped me there for a moment with the whole blood act, I still have this fight in the bag. Care to know how?" he asked, looking as smug as ever as the blowfish practically growled. "I like to call it the boomerang effect! And it should be dawning on you right about…" Burty suddenly shrieked in undeniable pain, making Ches's smile grow wider. "…now."

Burty's back was arched as far as humanly possible as he tried to run from the pain searing into his spine, but it wouldn't budge. He looked over his shoulder, eyes wide with horror as he barely caught the glimpse of the shuriken knife in his back, the very same knife that he thought he'd dodge a few seconds ago.

"It's quite simple really," Ches called again, though he could see Burty was focusing in on anything but his words. The blowfish was trying desperately to get the knife out, but it was lodged too far in and every little movement made pain flare through his body. Ches chuckled a bit. "I'm a master air current reader and with this knowledge, I'm able to throw virtually anything and allow it to catch the wind perfectly to boomerang back to pretty much any position I choose. If I'm guessing correctly, the knife is buried right into your spine. I'd advise that you not move around too much, unless of course you want it to slice up your nerves and you never walk again." Burty froze instantly as his frantic eyes locked with Ches.

The rainbow then broke off into a sprint, running right for Burty. "Now that I've got you right where I want you!" He rushed right over, jumping to capture the pirate's head in a tight headlock. "It's Over!" Ches swung his body back down, kicked the feet off from under Burty, and used the momentum to drive the pirate headfirst into the ground with a cracking force. The guy was in la-la land as his limp body rolled over onto the dirt. Ches sat there for a brief moment, watching Burty with a smirk. "And you actually thought I wouldn't win! Stupid blowfish."

A beat passed before Ches looked over to the forlorn dynamite Burty had been carrying. _I won't let you blow up this town, Kissaru_, he thought grimly. _This is one place that you'll never destroy._

Then, suddenly, his attention was drawn above as a piece of paper fluttered into his lap. He watched the paper carefully before looking up in pursuit of the culprit behind it. Ches wasn't exactly sure, but he could've sworn he saw a figure in a black cloak on one of the roofs, but it seemed that whoever it was disappeared before the rainbow could focus in on him. He shrugged a bit and then looked back at the paper, it was a perfect diagram of the town with nearly a dozen x's crossed all around the area.

"A map?" he questioned, absentmindedly looking over at the unconscious Burty and then to the dynamite. "A MAP!" he exclaimed when the idea dawned on him.

* * *

**How was that? Sonya got to knock some jerks out with a 2x4! Get 'em you fiesty barkeep! And then some more action with Atori. I have a hard time really writing out how he works with those weapons of his. He looks so cool with them in my mind, but I feel like I can't transition it as well into words. This won't be his last fight, so I can only get better as the story continues. And then Ches! Have to say that I appreciated his fight scene the most. It's interesting to have a character that is afraid of blood, yet fights with knives. Oh! How about that mysterious bandit action? Sneaky little thief. More's to come with him in the future for sure!**

**Now, Ralli just has to beat the crap out of Madame Kissaru to save the town. Let's hope red eye can take down the lethal pirate!**

**See ya until Friday!**


	6. The Day is Saved!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"The Red-Eyed Panther vs the Axe Killer! The Day is Saved!"**

"KISSARU!" Ralli growled, running over for the large pirate with his fist raised and ready.

The madam didn't even budge as she watched with feigned interest. Ralli lunged to strike her clean in the face, but Kissaru's massive axe was already in the way. Ralli didn't even flinch from striking the steel. He fell back to the ground and leapt away when Kissaru aimed the axe for him.

A growl rolled past his lips as he charged yet again, a battle cry roaring out as he ran up to the pirate captain. Kissaru was already dropping the axe down in attack and Ralli jumped to the side to dodge. He then jumped back up to eye level and sent his fist straight for Kissaru's cheek. Before it could strike, Kissaru's hand caught the fist and yanked Ralli in for a strong headbutt that sent the red eye falling back to the ground.

Madame Kissaru barked a heavy laugh. "You impudent little child! How dare you think that you can fight me? That you're strong enough to beat _me_?! I've been at this for over a decade! You think you're the first person to challenge me to a fight!" Ralli rolled back to his feet, growling like an animal as he glared at the captain. "Stronger men than you have tried to take me out. And they've all failed!"

Kissaru took a firm hold of the axe with both hands, lifted it high, and then slammed it back into the ground, a current a sharp energy ripping through the earth in pursuit of Ralli. Red eye had all of a second to be shocked before he leapt out of the way, letting the current slam into a nearby building. "I'm the Axe Killer, you ruby-eyed brat! Nothing can stop me!"

Ralli looked back at the wall nearly destroyed by Kissaru's power and then turned back to the pirate captain. "I don't care who you are, what you've done, or how long you've been doing it!" he snarled, dropping low to the ground as he prowled on all fours, a fine layer of black fur crawling onto his body. "I won't let myself lose to you or anyone else!" His fingernails extended out into sharp claws, his teeth sharpened, and the fur had practically covered him in black. "My name's Teko C. Ralli and I will be King of the Pirates!"

Ralli launched off of the ground, leaping across the air with one clawed paw ready to slice Kissaru's face off. The pirate captain was shocked for a brief moment before thrusting her axe into the claw, the attacks slamming with a loud clang as their powers pushed each other apart. Ralli fell back onto the ground with a slide and Kissaru was forced two steps back from the impact. They glowered at one another.

"So you've got a Devil's Fruit power?" she questioned, her eyes raking over Ralli's appearance. "What are you, some kind of cat?"

"I'm a panther!" he growled. "And when I get done with you, they won't know what you are!" Ralli burst forward again, running on all four as he charged.

"We'll see about that! Axe Ripple!" Kissaru roared, slamming down the axe again with a sharp, powerful force that cut through the ground.

Ralli dodged around the attack and ran right up to Kissaru with claws ready. He swung around to strike at the woman's large belly, but Kissaru answered with her axe again, the weapons clanging with a powerful force. They rebounded off one another and before Ralli could strike again, Kissaru had already connected with a powerful fist. The red eyed panther fell onto the ground, but not without wrapping his tail around Kissaru's leg and yanking the woman off her feet.

Kissaru struck like an earthquake and Ralli had already pounced onto her, claw poised for the attack. Yet again though, it struck the axe, Kissaru moving the large weapon like it was a feather before pushing Ralli off of her. Red eye rolled across the ground from the shove and by the time he'd turned back to Kissaru, the pirate was back on her feet.

"You've got some real guts, boy!" she yelled, looking as angry as ever. "And when I get done, I'll show all of them to you!" She stomped forward axe raised with one arm.

Ralli dodged back as Kissaru began hammering the weapon into the ground, trying to slice the boy right down the middle with each strike. "Be still!" she growled, slamming the axe down a final time as Ralli had dodged again. She then smile and slid the weapon through the ground and into the air, throwing dirt into the boy's eye. Ralli flinched back from the invasion of his retinas while Kissaru stomped over with a maniac laugh and kicked him across the area and into the corner of a building. Ralli struck the wooden structure and fell to the ground, unmoving.

"This is where it ends!" Madame Kissaru struck into the soil once again with an Axe Ripple. The sharp energy slammed right into Ralli and wrecked the corner of the wooden building in the process, earning a hearty laugh from Kissaru.

"Ralli! You'd better not be dead, you idiot!" Atori suddenly yelled, appearing just in time with a panicked look.

Kissaru turned to him, her eyes full of morbid glee. "Oh he's dead alright. And so are you!" She took one menacing stomp towards Atori, but stopped when she'd heard an unmistakable growl.

She turned back to see Ralli prowling out of the darkness of the wreckage, his red eyes standing out in the darkness like rubies in sunlight. He stepped out onto the dirt on all fours, completely ignoring the small trail of blood coming from the side of his face. Without any warning, Ralli let out a guttural roar, so fierce even Kissaru took a step back from the enraged carnivorous animal.

Her shock evaporating, Madame Kissaru raised the axe a final time. "I'll finish you with this one! Axe-Style: Mountain Slasher!" The axe struck with triple the power of before, the riptide slash wrecking the ground as it surged toward Ralli.

At the last second, Ralli jumped over the attack, leaping high into the air like some kind of acrobat as he moved for Kissaru. The pirate captain could only watch as the Black Panther descended on her and ripped down her front torso with his claws. She shrieked in obvious pain as Ralli landed, his red eyes looking up at her without an ounce of remorse.

"Rabid Claw: Double Strike!" he roared, slashing his claws horizontally across Madame Kissaru's stomach, an impact of power surging at the cross section of his claws that blew Kissaru right off her feet.

The pirate captain screamed bloody murder as she flew through the air, blood running from her abdominal wound. She was sent flying right into the One-Shot Tavern. With her massive frame, she nearly brought the whole building down on impact.

Atori stood rooted to the ground as he watched the debris settle from the crash. Madame Kissaru wasn't budging. Ralli had actually defeated her; Rall had actually defeated "Dynamite" Kissaru! He looked back over at the red eye, noting that the black fur and claws had all retracted quickly and Ralli was back to his normal self. He chuckled to himself. "Well, I guess you're not as hopelessly weak as I had thought," he jibed, watching Ralli's red eyes rake him over before that big dumb smile pulled at the kid's lips.

"Nope! Ooh! Does this mean we get to fight?" Ralli chimed, the efforts of fighting Kissaru long gone as he ran over to Atori. "Ooh! Can we do it now? I feel so excited!"

Atori sighed. "No," he said, patting Ralli's head as if he were a child.

"Wow, you guys really beat Madame Kissaru!" They turned to see Ches walked towards them. The rainbow looked a bit beaten and tired himself, but judging by the fact that he was dragging an unconscious Burty, he obviously was the victor. "But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, since she went against the both of you."

"Naa!" Ato responded, pointing over at Ralli. "It was just him and her, one on one. I took care of the first mate."

Ches dropped Burty and his jaw unhinged as he gaped. "Ralli, you took down Madame Kissaru on your own! But-but-but, she's got a 19,000,000 beri bounty on her head!"

Ralli just smiled a big one. "She wasn't too tough. That axe was real annoying though!" he answered, as if it were nothing.

Ches looked ready to sputter more nonsense, so Ato spoke up. "We can talk about how idiotically strong Ralli is later. There are a bunch of pirates rampaging the town, right?" He moved to walk away, until he saw Sonya walk up, sly smile on her face.

Clearly she'd heard Atori and waved off his concern. "Don't bother. The citizens are saved and the pirates have been dealt with!" she piped, smiling proudly despite the few bruises and scratches she'd gotten over her body. The guys knew enough not to ask how she'd gotten them. She just decided to leave out the fact that over half of the pirates had been knocked unconscious by someone else, a certain cloaked figure if she'd had to guess. But that would just lead to questions that she simply didn't have the answers for. "I think the really surprising thing is you three." She gestured to the trio's obvious wins. "You really shouldn't make a young gal like me worry like that, ya know. I'm too young to have worry lines!"

They all kind of smile a bit at Sonya's concern. "Sorry about your bar though," Ralli piped up, pointing at the unconscious Madame Kissaru lying in the large whole. "I guess I got a little carried away."

Sonya looked over at the whole, over at Kissaru for a long hard second. Her expression seemed distant, but not the gloominess that it had been when talking about her old captain. It seemed a little more at peace. "No problem," she replied, smiling happily back at Ralli as she chuckled a bit. "I'd always told Marty that I wanted to redecorate!"

* * *

"So, what do we do now?" Atori asked, arms folded as he leered down at the three restrained pirates. They retrieved Kissaru, Burty, and Resk, being that they were obviously the strongest, and tied them up outside of the One-Shot Tavern. The three villains were still unconscious, but looked like they'd wake up at any moment. "Put them in jail or something?"

Sonya laughed. "I don't know if we actually have a jail around here. If so, we hardly use it."

"We can't just leave them out, can we? Should we call the Marines or something to haul them in? We can't run the risk of Kissaru escaping," Ches demanded, hands in his pockets and poised to pull a knife if he needed to. "There's no telling what she'd do then."

"I'll just beat her up again!" Ralli chimed with a huff.

"We'll just have to wait until –" Sonya was ready to say, until a voice cut her off.

"So this is where all of the action is!" All four whipped around to the voice. It was two men standing there, both probably around their late thirties. The one that had spoken was wearing a big smile, dressed in a long brown coat on top of a dark blue shirt and dusty looking jeans that were tucked into cowboy boots that even had little spurs on the back. Up top, he wore a cowboy hat over sandy colored hair and had an equally sandy-colored mustache. To the man's left was a man of a taller stature, probably even an inch or so taller than Atori. He looked dressed to the nines with a dark suit but missing the actual suit coat to show off the silvery dress shirt beneath the dark waistcoat. Over the man's shoulder was the Marine's coat and despite the bulky over coat, the man's muscle mass couldn't be denied. He looked like he could bench press a building. Up top, his face was set in a bit of scowl that seemed unrelenting, but it didn't at all give him an unpleasant appearance. He had pale black hair, slicked back with the slightest trail of gray running on the side of his head where just the smallest strand of hair seemed incapable of slicking back with the rest.

"Marty!" Sonya exclaimed, running off to the duo and nearly tackling the man in the cowboy hat to the ground. "I'm so happy to see you!" she cried, trying her hardest to hold back the tears as she buried her face in the man's chest.

Marty rubbed Sonya's back compassionately and whispered something in her ear, but that was all unnoticed by the trio as they seemed caught in the unrelenting gaze of the man opposite Marty. Ches seemed to have some sort of shiver run up his spine at the Marine's sight and he quickly yanked Ralli by the hand and bolted with Atori hardly two steps behind. "Wait! Get back here!" the man bellowed, preparing to run off in pursuit, but Sonya was already in his way with her arms spread out protectively before he could get a good start.

"Oh no you don't, Jon Jon! You're not about to go lecture those kids after they just saved this town!" she demanded, her eyes fierce as she clashed with the commander.

Behind the woman, Jon Jon could see the trio zipping off behind the buildings and let any objections go. With a deep sigh, his baritone voice replied, "You do realize I have a special pair of handcuffs just waiting to go around your wrists, right Sonya?"

The feisty barkeep stuck out her tongue and winked a sly one. "Just make sure their red, Jon Jon! You know that's my favorite color!"

"Oh, look! The gang's all back together again! Now all we need are those bimbo twins and that glass head to complete this little reunion!" The trio's heads all whipped over in Kissaru's direction, seeing that the pirate captain and her two crewmates had at last awoken. Kissaru sneered at them all. "You fools might've won this battle, but I can promise you the victory of war always belongs to Madame Kissaru!"

They watched the woman carefully as she threw her head back in avid glee. "Do it now, Burty!" she called and they looked at the blowfish, surprised to see a small device in the pirate's hands.

"I might not have been able to place them all, but I put down enough explosives to blow this town into the next century! This is for the Kissaru Pirates!" he yelled, stomping his fingers down onto a button of the device.

A beat passed, Jon Jon, Marty, and Sonya, cringing from what they expected to be a mass of explosions around them. Instead, though, an explosion far off to the east caught their ears. It was a massive explosion that sent fire and smoke spewing into the air, but it didn't seem to have hurt one single building in the town.

Marty looked over to the smoke cloud with a questioning look. "That looked like it came from the Eastern shore?" he asked and Sonya smiled so hard it hurt.

XXXXXXXX

_As the trio and Sonya gathered the unconscious pirates and began putting them in place to be tied up, a thought dawned on the barkeep. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" she had exclaimed._

_Ches was the first to check on her with a questioning look._

_"__This is 'Dynamite' Kissaru! She's known for setting up explosives and blowing up towns. What if she's already set explosives to blow? There's no way of knowing where they could be!" she had nearly cried at the thought._

_However, Ches just smiled like a Cheshire cat. "Don't worry about that one, Sonya! I've taken care of it!"_

XXXXXXXX

Sonya had been so puzzled at the time, but now it made perfect sense. "You sneaky little chess-square! Oooh! I love you!" she muttered to herself, unable to hold back the glee.

Meanwhile, Madame Kissaru was staring off in the direction of the explosion with a horrified look on her face. "But that's where my ship is, th-that's where…my…" She then looked over at Burty like she could've bitten his head off. "Damn you, you idiot! Can you do nothing right? You just blew up my damned ship! When I get out of these cuffs, I'm going to rip you limb from limb!"

"I wouldn't be too expectant of that!" Jon Jon stepped over to Kissaru, gaining the pirates attention. "In fact, you won't be going anywhere anytime soon, Kissaru. I'll make sure of that!"

She snarled at him like an animal, but pulled her rage back just long enough to smirk. "Whatever, Jon Jon. You couldn't stop me ten years ago and you won't stop me now!"

* * *

**A little mystery action between Kissaru and Jon Jon? Hmm...another story for another time I suppose. I hope the fight between Ralli and Kissaru was enjoyable. I wanted to make her seem bad enough to deserve a bounty so high, but also make Ralli just as badass to take her on. Felt like it was a bit short, but then again, this is only the first of many so I think its acceptable. Hopefully? And yes, Sonya. We all love Chess square for saving the day!**

**My next update will be extra long, so I'm saving it for Wednesday. Until then, guys and gals!**


	7. Parting Words from a Fateful Friend!

**Kaishi Island Arc**

**"A New Pirate Crew Forms! Parting Words from a Fateful Friend!"**

"Did anyone else just hear an explosion?" Atori asked, his head whipping around before settling on a plume of smoke in the distant. "What the hell was that?!"

Ches broke out in an infectious grin. "I do believe that is the sound of Kissaru's ship blowing sky high."

"What?" both Ralli and Atori asked.

Ches held back the urge to laugh. "With the help of a friend, I rounded up all of Kissaru's explosives after beating Burty and placed them on her ship. Burty – being the idiot that he is – probably never suspected anything and set the explosions off. Kissaru's finally been served her just desserts. Maybe next time she'll think twice before trying to blow up someone's home." He paused for a thoughtful moment and then added, "Assuming Jon Jon doesn't throw her down into the deepest hole of Impel Down."

"So that guy you had us running from was Jon Jon?" Ato asked. He watched as the rainbow nodded the affirmative and then a curious thought formed. "Why do I feel like we're criminals now?"

Ches laughed. "We did just take down a major pirate crew. I mean, Kissaru may not have been the biggest and baddest pirate around, but she's one of very few pirates on the West Blue that's been at it for over ten years. Most pirates now haven't been around real long because Jon Jon's usually taken them down by then. Kissaru is a bit of a legend. They say she's the only pirate to have ever faced down the commander."

Atori scoffed. "Then that Marine must not be all that tough then!"

"Yeah! I bet I can kick his ass!" Ralli demanded, his chest poked out in a show of macho.

Ches smirked at the kid. "And that is exactly why I pulled us away. I didn't feel like testing your theory."

The trio had walked a fair distance from the area. There was slight wreckage around the town, but all of the citizens seemed to be doing fine and there were dozens of marine soldiers patrolling to arrest any of the unconscious pirates still scattered about. It was hardly noon and they'd successfully stopped a pirate captain from killing a whole lot of people.

A deep sigh puffed from Atori as he leaned against the first building he could find and closed his eyes. "This is not how I expected to be spending my day." He slumped down the wall of the building and sat on the dirt of the street. His body was far from tired, but his mind wasn't exactly used to processing so much at one time. He could remember the days when the most troubling thing he had to do was clean dishes in the restaurant he and Dallis worked at.

"C'mon, Ato!" Ralli cheered, trying to rouse the tall brunette with his patented smile. "We saved a whole bunch of people today and you still have plenty of time to see that old man later!"

Atori's eyes sprouted back open before he groaned. "Ugh! With all of this crap, I'd completely forgotten about that! I feel like a whole week has passed since this morning and I still have several hours before I go to see him – what was his name, Ricket?"

"I'm sure we'll find some way to pass the –" Ches started, but was cut off.

"By authorization of Commander Jon Jon, we are to arrest all pirates under the command of Madame Kissaru!" The trio turned to the soldier, three of them to be precise, that had weapons aimed at them. "Either give up peacefully or we'll have no other choice but to use deadly force!"

Ralli, Ches, and Atori looked at the Marine for a good long second before turning to look at each other and then finally looking back at the Marine. As if they were going to turn themselves in! Atori was off the ground in a heartbeat and the entire trio were down the street like bullets, while the soldiers charged after them.

"I swear this crap only happens when I'm around you two!" Atori growled.

"THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!" Ralli cheered!

"Shut up, Ralli!" Ches demanded as they all jumped two gears when the marines began firing.

* * *

The day had indeed been eventful for the group. Either they were being chased by Marines or fighting amongst themselves – Ralli had learned just the right buttons to press to get Atori to fight with him, although the fights were half-hearted at best. And if either of those two things weren't happening, they were just mindlessly walking the town. Ralli had opted to show Ches and Atori all of his "hiding" spots that he'd found since being there. Though they really wanted to, they didn't dare go to the One-Shot Tavern for fear of encountering Jon Jon directly. With Ralli's demand, Ches had even shown off his boomerang trick with his knives and had even gone so far as to throw Atori to show how he could boomerang virtually anything. That hadn't ended quite well though when Ato thrashed around in the air and dismissed the spinning effect to fall back to the ground. Ches got two tonfa to the back of the head for that crap.

Ches breathed a deep sign of contempt as they collectively walked to the docks. The day had been a joy for them all, although Atori would obstinately claim that it was the most bothersome day of his life. The sun was shining a muted red as it faded in the distance, the evening creeping up on them all with each passing second. It all felt so peaceful.

"It's too bad this will be over soon," he sighed as his hands lazily rested in his pocket.

Ralli looked over at him with questioning eyes. "Whaddya mean, Ches? What's gonna be over soon?"

"This. Us. You know, hanging out." Ralli continued to look as if he didn't understand. "Atori will be leaving soon and of course, I've got to expand my own adventure in life. We can't pal around on Kaishi Island forever."

Atori gave a passing glance before turning back to their walk while Ralli pouted. "Don't say that, Ches! You make it sound like we'll never see each other again. Besides, I've already said that I'm going to help Ato find his brother, so we'll still be together. Why don't you just join us?"

"You were serious about that?" Atori asked, cutting in before Ches could answer. Ralli turned to him with an obstinate nod. "What about your whole pirate king deal? There's no telling how long it'll take me to find Dallis, not that I'm planning on taking forever, but still. Won't helping me hinder you?"

Ralli pondered the words for a moment, obviously not having thought about it in the way Atori explained. But he didn't have to think for more than three seconds. "It doesn't matter!" he chimed with a happy smile. "I've already promised to help you, and I never turn my back on friends. If I promise you that I'll do something, it's as good as done!" He gave Ato thumbs up for good measure and the brunette smirked away his own surprise at Ralli's answer.

Ches didn't say anything else, but he watched the two with a knowing smile of his own.

They walked in relative silence for the next few minutes before reaching the dock. In the early evening, there were hardly any people around. The crew just figured they'd probably be out trying to recover from the attack earlier that day.

Atori's eyes watched the dock closely, scanning around the remaining people for any sign of Ricket. He didn't have a clue of what the man looked like, but from how the other dock worker described him, Ricket had to be a man of old age, practically ancient. And his emerald eyes suddenly landed on the oldest looking person around, the old man hunched over some papers in his hands. "Excuse me?" Atori called as he walked over.

The man didn't respond.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hey! Old man Ricket?"

"Who are you calling 'Old Man?!'" the geezer suddenly shouted, making Atori absently step back. "I swear you youngsters nowadays have no respect for seasoned vets like me. Just because I've got a little more life experience, I'm suddenly old! Who exactly are you?"

Atori decided not to point out that calling someone a youngster definitely made Ricket old, and said, "My name's Atori and I was wondering –"

"I already know who you are! You think I don't know the three whippersnappers that saved us from that twisted old Kissaru."

"Why'd you ask who I was if you already knew?" Atori growled out through clenched teeth, his temper just barely suppressed out of respect for the geezer.

Ricket waved off Atori's tone like a pesky fly. "Whatcha want, boy? I ain't got all night to be lookin at ya!"

Before Atori's last nerve could snap, Ches stepped up with the politest tone as possible. "Good evening, Mr. Ricket. Excuse my friend here," he gestured to Atori, who was glaring like an animal ready to pounce on prey, not that Ricket was the least bit intimidated. "But we were just hoping you could help us out. Answer a few questions, if you will?"

Ricket sized up Ches in one fell swoop. "I guess so," he started, looking cautiously between the three. "But only cause you three saved all of our butts. So get to askin! I got other things to do tonight."

Completely ignoring the boundaries of personal space, Ralli reached right into Atori's pocket and yanked out the photo. He handed it to Ricket and said, "We need to know everything you know about this ship. A man said you might know something about the crew…or something."

Ricket studied the picture for all of two seconds before grunting. "What makes you think I can see this confounded photo? It's too dark, boy. Give me a light!"

Ralli grimaced at Ricket's tone, but Ches stepped in once again to spare any offending words. He handed a light to the old man and Ricket took his sweet time looking over the photo before handing it back to Ralli, who then handed it to Atori. "Yeah, I know a little bit about them pirates. Why are you three lookin for them?"

"I think it's none of your business," Atori chimed instantly, his tone as dark as the night beginning to fall on them.

Ricket scoffed. "If you're expecting some info out of me, I'm makin it my business. And don't lie either! I can tell a fat one out of the rest of the parade!"

"_Fat one out of the rest of the parade?_" Atori looked too taken back by the man's phrase, but when that passed, he practically snarled. "Look old man, it's none of your business why I'm looking for them! Just tell me what I need to know!"

Ricket didn't back an inch from Ato's glare and the man looked ready to meet the much taller man head on. That is, until Ralli spoke. "We're trying to find Ato's little brother, Ricket-geezer. He was kidnapped and those pirates are the ones that took him."

Ricket's expression softened almost instantly. He still looked ornery, but not near as rabid as a moment ago. "Oh, I see," he stated, his lively demeanor shifting to one of despondency. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Atori glared down at Ralli, but the red eye was smiling too much to take notice.

"Well, I do apologize for my demeanor. I'd half expected you three to be some kind of wild pirates, looking for the next big target or something, considering how you all had handled Kissaru," the old man said as he seemed to look anywhere but at Ralli. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and then continued. "And I do offer my condolences for your predicament."

"Don't bother. If you want to feel bad for anyone, let it be those pirates when I get my hands on them," Atori chimed, arms folding as he looked down on the man with absolute confidence.

Ricket's head snapped up to lock eyes with Atori, the man's eyes wide as he took in the brunette's words. "You must know nothing of these pirates, boy!" the man cried, looking almost frantically concerned.

"That is why I came to see you. Although, you've been anything but helpful so far."

If Ricket was bothered by Atori's tone, it didn't show. The man took a long pause to collect himself before that shock changed back to his tempered grimace. "You've got a lot to learn, boy-o," he said, shaking his head. "Tell me something: Does the name Kaido ring any bells in that thick skull of yours?"

Atori's hardened glare softened slightly as he shook his head in the negative. "Never heard the name before a day in my life. What about you two?" He looked down at Ralli, who simply shook his head. Typical. And then turned to Ches and the rainbow looked like he'd just swallowed something sour. "Ches, do you know-"

"K-k-kaido? As in Kaido of the Four Emperors! Yonko Kaido! The world's strongest beast! Is that the Kaido you're talking about, Ricket?!" Ches nearly shouted with shock as Ralli and Ato simply watched.

"Aye!" was the man's simple response, making Ches nearly have an aneurysm. While the rainbow tried to calm himself, Ricket continued. "I hope you understand how dire the situation is now." He looked up to Atori and the brunette simply scoffed.

"I'm guessing this Kaido person is some kind of big deal around here. Look, old man, I could care less who he is, what he is, or what he's been doing. If he had anything to do with my brother being taken, then I'm looking for him and all of his little cronies. Now, are you going to get to the point or what?" Atori snapped, his attempt at respect ready to fly out the window.

Ricket could only shake his head in distaste. "You want to know what I know? Fine. The ship in that photograph arrived here, on Kaishi Island, three whole days ago. They were stopping for supplies and while here, they asked for a minor repair job below deck. It was an oddly blown out wall that I have yet to understand how it could've happened, but that doesn't really matter to you, now does it?" The old man paused just long enough for Atori to shake his head. "Thought so. The importance behind these pirates is that they fly the flag of Kaido. These pirates are under Kaido's control and attacking them would be no worse than attacking the Yonko himself. Now, it seems that piracy is a foreign ideal to you, which is why you have no idea how bad of a situation you are really in."

"What does this have to do with…" Atori started but was silenced with a hard glare from Ricket.

"Now, moments ago, you said that Kaido must be some kind of big deal around here. By _here_, I'd assume you meant the West Blue, am I right?" Atori nodded with a bit of frustration. "In all actuality, Kaido is a big deal all over this world. He is especially a big deal to anyone who even thinks they can become a pirate. But here is where all of this effects you, boy-o. The West Blue is hardly a blip on the radar of man like Kaido. The fact that his pirates were even in these waters seems a bit suspicious, but I suppose that's none of my business. For whatever reason they were here, they've obviously completed it and are now on their way back to their domain. And since you three aren't exactly pirates, it makes this all a bit more difficult for you."

Atori raked his hands through his hair with a huge sigh. "Old man, so help me, if you don't quit talking in circles and get to the point. Dammit, I hate this suspenseful crap! You're killing me!"

"You tall brat!" Ricket growled at Atori's impatience. "Unless you've got some kind of machine that can cross this immense gap in distance between you and Kaido's men, there's no way of your journey ending in the West Blue!"

"So where is he going then?" Ralli finally asked.

"The Grand Line," Ches sighed, looking exasperated with all of it.

Atori's eyes shot to the size of dinner plates as he whipped back over to Ricket. The old man sighed, but nodded his head. "Kaido's men are probably a day away from Reverse Mountain at this point. There's no way that you'll catch them before they go up and over. Atori," the man called, using the brunette's voice in the most spine-tingling manner as possible. "You'll be going to the most dangerous sea in the world if you ever hope to see your brother again. I'd suggest you get ready to face the Grand Line."

The sun had long since faded and now the trio found themselves seated on another collection of barrels similar to those of the previous night. Old man Ricket had stumbled off at some point after giving his ominous news and now the docks were almost completely abandoned, with the exception of Ralli, Atori, and Ches. And even with the typically rambunctious bunch, the docks were eerily silent.

Ralli leaned over to Ches, keeping his eyes trained on Atori as he whispered, "Do you think he'll ever speak again?"

Ches sat up just enough to take in the spacey look on the brunette's face. "Let's just give him a few more minutes," he replied as Ralli nodded and once again they were all plunged back into the silence.

Ever since hearing Ricket's news, Atori had been completely silent. That had been nearly an hour of stone cold quiet. Ches had even checked the brunette at one point to make sure he was still breathing.

_The Grand Line…the Grand Line…the fucking Grand Line! Dammit all to hell and back!_ Atori resisted the urge to yank his hair out with frustration and sighed inaudibly. Even though he had a very basic understanding of the world of pirates, Atori very much knew about the Grand Line. He'd heard so many tales, horror stories really, of the things that happened there. Truth be told, it wasn't that that had the guy so awestruck. It was the hassle he'd have to go through to get there. He was confident enough in his own skills to survive whatever awaited him on that treacherous sea, but it was getting there that worried him the most.

He could join a pirate crew? But that would lead to having a captain that was probably an ass. He could hitchhike? But that still beckons the possibility of an overbearing captain and then, he couldn't really trust riding a ship with a whole bunch of strangers. Going alone was absolutely out of the question. That poor raft he'd been surviving in thus far, probably wouldn't make it halfway there, let alone on the Grand Line itself.

It was just so much to consider! And it was hard enough chasing Kaido's men on the West Blue. How much more difficult would it be chasing them in an area that they probably called home? Ugh! It felt like Atori's thoughts were running a mile a minute and his poor brain was hardly making an inch an hour. What the fuck was he going to do?

"Here you guys are!" the voice yanked Ato out of his thoughts as all three looked over to find Sonya standing on the docks, her sly smile shining through the darkness around them. "I haven't seen you guys all day! I was worried those Marines might've mistaken you for Kissaru's men and hauled you off!"

Ralli leapt off the barrel with a huge grin. "They tried to, but we were way too fast for them!"

"I'm sure," she chuckled a bit before waving them on. "C'mon! I didn't get a chance to properly thank all of you."

* * *

They were all seated in the One-Shot Tavern, sitting at the bar with Sonya on the other side to dish out drinks and gummies. With the activities of the day, the bar was shut down to the public and had even been deemed a structural hazard considering the massive hole Kissaru had made, or rather Ralli had made Kissaru make. Naturally, Sonya wasn't one to listen to others and demanded to risk the trios' lives alongside her own for a drink.

"You are sure this place won't cave in on us, right Sonya?" Ches asked, watching the poorly patched hole carefully before wincing when the building creaked in the wind.

Sonya laughed. "Don't worry, my little chess-square. We'll be fine. Promise!" At that very moment, the whole building creaked just a bit too loud for comfort. "Well, I doubt we die anyway."

Ches swallowed loudly as Ralli laughed. "You're funny, Sonya!" He then looked around as if expecting to see someone behind him. "Where's Marty and that Marine Jon Jon guy? Ooh! Do you think Jon Jon will fight me?"

The barkeep looked at Ralli as if he'd grown a second head. "They're off doing 'guy stuff' at Jon Jon's battleship, ya know, whatever it is Marines and ex-Marines do for fun. And Ralli, I think Jon Jon would be more apt to handcuff you, which is why I sincerely hope that you'd steer clear of him. He is a dear friend of mine, but he takes justice to an extreme. If he'd even heard you say that you wanted to be pirate king, he'd have locked you up right then. Good work on getting him out of dodge, Ches." She nodded her head in kind to the rainbow. He reciprocated.

"Why so glum, emerald eyes?" she all of a sudden asked, watching Atori closely. The brunette was so deep in thought, he hadn't even touched the sake she'd sat down for him. "You've been unusually quiet. Well, unusually quiet for you anyway."

Atori simply shook his head, offering little excuse for his behavior before Ches spoke up for him. "Ato's received a bit of bad news. Turns out the people in the photo are a crew from Kaido's pirate army and he's going to have to go to the Grand Line to hunt them down."

Ato didn't even feel like glaring at Ches for putting out his business, so he just watched admirably as Sonya stumbled to catch the glass she'd nearly dropped from hearing the news. "Oh my goodness! Kaido! As in Yonko Kaido? Ato, your involved with one of the four emperors?!"

Atori overlooked the fact that everyone had just referred to him as "Ato," and just shrugged. "Seems like it. And now, I've got to go to the Grand Line if I ever hope to see my brother again." He picked up the glass of sake in front of him and knocked it all back in a massive gulp that seemed to be inhumanly possible to do at one time. It was almost like he'd unhinged his jaw to take all of the fluid in. "And I have absolutely no idea how I'll be getting there."

"Ato, you're so dumb!" Ralli chimed, drawing everyone's attention as his smile practically lit up the room. "Is that why you've been so sad looking? Isn't it obvious? You're coming with me as my first mate silly!"

Atori watched Ralli liked he'd never seen a human, making the red eye laugh out loud. Ches had even smirked at the scene and Sonya was watching with her usual sly interest. Ato took a few moments to gather his thoughts before saying, "There's no way in hell I'd join your crew, Ralli! Are you sure you're even capable of leading a crew of pirates? You're not the brightest, you know."

If Ralli was offended by the comment, he certainly didn't show it. He drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the bar for a second to ponder Ato's question. "We'll figure it out, Ato! Ooh! You know what? I can just let you make all of the important decisions and I can just be the awesome captain!" Atori deadpanned at the mere thought. "C'mon Ato! We'll sail the seas and be the best pirate crew around! No one'll stop us! We'll save your brother, then he can join the crew and we'll keep going down the Grand Line until we find the One Piece! It'll be great!" Ralli was so dreamy eyed with the thought that he'd already seen every great adventure they'll be having.

Atori scoffed. "First and foremost, _captain_, do you even know how to sail a ship? I can't help but notice that we don't exactly have a navigator yet."

"Can't you?"

The brunette groaned so hard he actually hit his head on the bar and then just lied there. "I can't believe I even remotely thought of saying yes!"

Sonya laughed at them both while Ralli merely tilted his head in confusion.

"I think I can help with that situation!" Ches piped up, with a bit of a smile on his face. "I'm actually quite good at navigating the sea. I've been sailing from island to island on my own ever since I was sixteen. There's not a wind current that can get past me unnoticed!"

"Ooh!" Ralli cheered, hopping with joy in his seat. "We've got a navigator, Ato! This is perfect!"

Atori didn't even bother with lifting his head. "What about a doctor, or a cook, or even someone to look after the ship because I'm telling you now, Ralli, I'm not going to be our handyman! And I know enough about the sea to know that crap breaks on ships all the time!"

Sonya punched Atori in the shoulder, making the brunette snap upright. "Quit being such a storm cloud, Ato! You'll figure all of that out as you go! Right now, the important thing is that you've got a navigator and a trusty boat. And before you ask," she said, right when Atori looked ready to question the boat situation. "I'll be handing you all a new boat. Call it a thank you gift for all that you've done." She winked at the collective trio with her sly smirk.

Ralli looked ready to explode with excitement! "I can't believe it! It's really happening! I've finally got a crew! Ooh! Then it won't be long until we go to the Grand Line and then we'll find Ato's brother and then we'll find the One Piece and then…well then we'll do everything that's fun and cool and awesome! It's going to be great!"

Sonya smiled down at the boy in wonder, a very pleased smile tugging at her lips as she watched the trio. Ralli was still babbling on about what they'd do and who they'd see while Ches simply laughed every time Ralli nearly exploded with his excitement. And even old emerald eyes was looking at the red-eyed wonder ball with the slightest of smirks on his face. She was so happy for all of them.

"Did you hear me, Sonya?"

She blinked quickly as she'd just realized Ralli was talking to her. "Sorry, no. What is it?"

"I was just wondering have you ever been to the Grand Line? You know, back when you were a pirate."

She waved off the boy's question with a smile. "Oh no, of course not. We'd nearly gone this one time, but Madame Kissaru chickened out at the last minute." She continued smiling at the boys for nearly a full minute before she'd realized what she said. Her eyes shot to the size of dinner plates as she covered her mouth in hopes of pulling the words back.

"Did you say Madame Kissaru?" Ches asked with a careful eye on Sonya.

"Don't tell me she was that horrible captain that you'd been talking about earlier? Atori added.

"Sonya, she wasn't really your captain, was she?" Ralli asked, sounding like he was pleading for his own sake more than hers.

The feisty barkeep sighed heavily as her gaze dropped to the floor. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" She chuckled darkly before looking at them, trying her hardest not to look sad. "Yeah, Madame Kissaru is the pirate captain I'd mentioned earlier. Very few people know that I'm a former pirate and even fewer know that she's my former captain. I don't know why, but it always shamed me, just because of how horrible of a person she was, _she is_. The really sad part about it was that I'd always wondered what it'd be like to be a pirate when I was younger and then out of nowhere here comes Kissaru to give me the firsthand experience. Maybe I felt a bit guilty, as if I'd brought that cursed woman to my home just by hoping that I could one day become a pirate. Like it was my fault that she'd killed everyone that I'd ever known or loved." Sonya paused, a stray tear rolling down her cheek as she obviously thought back to the carnage.

Ralli opened his mouth to speak, but she shook away his intended words. Needing to finish uninterrupted, she took a deep breath and continued, starting off with the smallest of smiles. "I guess I can't be too upset with her though. If it hadn't been for Kissaru, I probably would've never met Marty and that man's the best thing that ever happened to me. But yeah, I was a part of her horrid crew for seventeen months before I'd finally gotten sick of her. At the time, she was only a rookie pirate, hadn't hardly been at it for two years. She wanted to make a name for herself by being as brutal as possible. When I'd finally gotten sick of it, I began secretly informing on her to the Marines, to Marty since he saw me most of the time. When the time had finally come to take her down, it'd been a mess, a poorly executed plan that led to a big confrontation. That was the fight that made Kissaru famous for being the only pirate to ever face down Jon Jon and escape, even though she'd practically lost all of her crew in the process. But she didn't run before leaving Jon Jon with a parting present. She'd stabbed him and the wound was so horrible that he'd nearly died. I felt so horrible after that because I'd thought that I was to blame. If I hadn't been trying to go against Kissaru, then they never would've gotten hurt. Marty had even been forced to give up the Marines due to a severe injury to his leg."

She paused again, taking a deep breath as she was on the verge of crying. "After that, I'd cried so hard for so long. I'd hated myself, hated Kissaru, hated anything to do with pirates, and cursed the day that I'd ever even thought of becoming one. But it took Marty to rebuild my heart and help me through it all. I can't thank that man enough and even Jon Jon had grown close to me after it was all said and done. That all happened twelve years ago, but it was all brought back to my mind the day Kissaru and her pirates stormed into the bar. I'd honestly thought that she'd forgotten about me since she hadn't made any direct moves to attack. I was wrong though. The day she was arrested, she'd finally voiced her feelings. She'd never forgotten me or Marty or Jon Jon or any of their other friends. And she vowed to one day make us regret crossing paths with her." She then chuckled a bit. "But that was before Jon Jon cracked her clean across the face. That was the first time I'd ever seen him hit a woman, but then again, Kissaru's more beast than woman."

Sonya then locked her eyes with each of the trio, a thankful smile on her face as she watched their undivided stares. "That's why I love you three so much!" Tears actually streamed down her face and she didn't make a single move to wipe them away. "If it hadn't been for you three, I wouldn't be here right now. This whole town wouldn't be here right now and I would've had to die thinking that I'd brought destruction to more innocent people. Which is why I need you three to give me hope for the world of pirates! You need to be gentle, but fierce! As wondrous and delicate as a butterfly, but as ravenous and monstrous as a wild tiger! Prove to the world that there is a such thing as honorable pirates, pirates that don't bring destruction but will save the innocent from it. I'm not asking you three to become superheroes, but just…just…just…" She stumbled over the words, her tears still streaming as she screamed, "Prove to me that everything I'd ever dreamed about wasn't wrong, dammit! I want to know that there's more to being a pirate than just death and destruction! Please! I'm begging you, all of you! Show me the world that I'd dreamt of!"

All three smiled, not at all laughing at the woman's conviction, but absorbing it and letting it pour through them.

Ralli slammed a fist onto the bar and jumped out of his seat. "It's a promise, Sonya!" he chimed, standing proudly with the biggest smile he'd shown thus far. "And when I make a promise, I'll die trying to keep it!" He offered her a thumbs up before Ches and Atori stood as well, their thumbs struck out as their promises were made to Sonya, the feisty barkeep.

Sonya wiped at her tears as she looked back at each of them. Then, she smiled herself. "Thank you."

* * *

The night came and went without much event. And now the trio was back at the docks, all of their items packed for the long haul. Through the light of the beginning day, they'd found one another and began walking the area for Sonya. The barkeep had promised to meet them there with the boat that she'd promised that night before.

"Hey, I think I see her!" Ches called, squinting his eyes before brightening up and point far down where Sonya was waving ecstatically.

"First one there gets to laze around while everyone else works!" Ralli cheered before breaking off into a sprint.

Atori and Ches shared a moment's glance before blasting off of the ground like bullets to chase down the red-eye.

Surprisingly enough, Ato had been the two, catching up to Ralli in no time. The red eye whined that Atori cheated somehow, but the brunette shrugged away the concern.

What greeted them once they'd arrived was a huge, dory-style boat. It was about 20ft long and seemed to have a custom built mast at the very back with a rudder and a sail to catch the wind, but rowing was definitely a possibility considering the paddles stashed away beneath the tall wooden sides. It was nothing extravagant, but it certainly outdid anything that they'd had thus far.

"I know it's not much, but it's all that…"

"Save your words, Sonya," Atori interrupted as he stepped past the woman and leapt into the boat, instantly reclining against the side. "It's more than what we deserve, so you've done good."

"Yeah, Sonya! I like it!" Ralli chimed, hands on his hips as he took in the glory of their boat. "Now all we need to do is put my jolly roger on that sail." He scrutinized the sail closely, as if trying to decide how he would want the sail to actually look.

"Oi!" Atori called. "Let's save the jolly roger until after we've actually gotten a ship. I don't want some rival pirates showing up to blast us away because you're impatient."

Ralli looked ready to argue, but Sonya settled him with a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I think it's a good idea, Ralli. No need to draw too much attention to yourself just yet. You can get the biggest and brightest jolly roger when you all find a ship. How's about that?"

"I guess," he whined like a child as he stomped over to leap into the boat.

Ches laughed and leapt on in himself. "The conditions seem perfect for sailing. We'll be able to catch a nice breeze on the sea once we set off."

Sonya let out a small whimper as she watched them all get comfortable. "Oh! You guys are going to make me cry! Gosh, I feel like I've known you forever!" The guys all smiled at the poorly restrained tears in her eyes. "Let me go before I start crying again. You three had better be safe out there, okay! Ches, make sure Ralli isn't doing anything stupid and make sure Atori doesn't kill Ralli in his sleep. And someone please make Ato smile at least once a day, otherwise his face will freeze into that scowl he's always wearing."

"Oi! I don't scowl all of the time!" he demanded.

"Yeah, you do!" they all replied simultaneously.

Atori touched his face a bit out of shock as Sonya burst with laughter. "I should go before I decide to jump in the boat and set off with you." She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back. "Oh! And you'd all better get huge bounties! The bigger the bounty, the badder the pirate!" She winked a sly one and then ran off, trying to pretend like she wasn't wiping at her eyes again as she did so.

"I'm going to miss her!" Ches thought aloud as he pulled off the rope holding the boat to the dock.

"I think we all will," Atori added, stretching out on their boat as he closed his eyes.

"We'll see her again one day!" Ralli demanded, standing proudly in the boat as they shoved off from the dock. "And when we do, Ato'll have his brother back and I'll be KING OF THE PIRATES!"

* * *

**And they're off! See ya Sonya, you brave little vixen you! I honestly will miss writing her character. Too bad she couldn't join the crew, but I don't think Marty would enjoy that too much. Anyways, you guys got a nice little backstory from the barkeep there. Kind of explains the whole deal with Kissaru and such. Hope it was enjoyable. But I got a serious case of the feels writing it though. Poor, Sonya. She will be missed by this writer. But no time for sadness. Only smiles and rainbows as the crew sets off. Onward to...well, somewhere. **

**So this ends my first arc of the story and we've already got the crew together. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I think the hardest part of writing this story for me is that I have to start at the very begining and work my way up to the action on the Grand Line, but oh well. Every story has to start somewhere. I'm hoping that I can gain the attention of more fans as the story progresses. In any event, I've pretty much got the whole West Blue Saga written out, so I don't plan on slowing down until our crew hits Reverse Mountain! All in all, there's no telling how long this story will be. I've got so much planned and so many other ideas that I'm trying to find room for. GAH! I just can't wait for this story to unfold. Heck, reviews, follows, favs, or not, I just want to see the story play out! So much to consider.**

**Anways! Catch you guys next Monday for the crew's next stop.**

**See ya!**


	8. The Island of Glory!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Land Ho! Welcome to the Island of Glory!"**

"This is SOOOO boring!" Ralli practically screamed, his loud voice bouncing off of the calm sea around them and their trusty boat.

The red eye fell back onto the boat, puffing like a child as he glared to the sky like it was the cause of his troubles. The trio had been sailing the water for nearly a day, doing nothing more than watching the horizon. Ralli had lost interest in the scenery after about an hour ago and was complaining every hour on the hour about how boring things were.

Ches forced a smile and said, "Well, did you really expect it to be all excitement? There's not much we can do on such a small boat, you know."

"Yeah. What did you really expect, Ralli?" Atori added, lifting his head from its lazy position to scrutinize the boy.

Ralli just shrugged before bolting upright in his seat and turning to their navigator. "Ches, can I ask you a question?"

Ches seemed off put by the request, but nodded anyway.

"Why are you coming with us?"

Atori sputtered at the question and Ches seemed a bit too put off to reply. Ralli, oblivious to his own words, only watched expectantly until Atori sat up and struck him in the head with a kick. "Idiot! You don't ask someone something like that when they volunteer to help your sorry ass out!"

Ralli clutched at his reddening forehead and yelled back, "That hurt, ATO! And it was a serious question!"

"But still! Choose your words more –!"

"It's okay, Atori," Ches spoke, laughing a bit behind his words as he watched the duo. Atori threw a threatening glance at Ralli before reclining back onto the boat. "I've known Ralli long enough to understand his often blunt way of speaking."

"It's not like I don't want you to come with us," Ralli defended, shifting his eyes from Ato and looking pleadingly at Ches. "We already know why Atori and I are out on the sea. I was just curious as to why you were."

Atori couldn't even deny his own curiosity now that he'd gotten over Ralli's idiocy. He turned to look over at Ches as the rainbow remained perfectly quiet for a moment, as if he was trying to find the answer to his own question. "Because I want to see the world, Ralli," he mused with a kind smile. "I want to see and meet and befriend as many people as humanly possible. Whenever I die, I want to leave this world knowing that I'll be missed, that there'll be people sorry to know that I'm gone instead of glad. I don't mean to sound vain or anything like that. I just want to be a positive presence in the world."

Ralli took all of a second to ponder Ches's words before smiling happily. "Nice!" he chimed and turned away, his curiosity sated.

Atori's on the other hand was only piqued by the information, but now was neither the time nor the place for further inquiries. Instead, he turned back to Ralli and said, "And next time, think before you speak, Ralli, or else I make you swim with the fishes again." Atori rested his head back against the boat, closing his eyes and missing the alarmed head shake Ralli had given him.

"Please, don't Atori. He sinks like a rock when he hits the water," Ches sighed, knowing that the tall brunette was far from feeling sympathetic. He had only kicked Ralli overboard three times thus far. "You know, next time I think I'll let you rescue him," he added when Ato didn't do anything but roll onto his stomach.

"Can't. Don't like water."

"D-don't like water? You're joking, right?" the rainbow asked, and just sighed when Atori said nothing back. "You really can be quite mean sometimes, Atori."

The brunette just shrugged.

"Oooh! I think I see an island!" Ralli chimed, getting the others attentions as he practically bounced in the boat with happiness. He yanked his eye from the spyglass Ches had given him and pointed excitedly to the horizon. "It is! It is an island! We've finally found land!"

"If we're lucky, we might even find a ship," Ches chirped happily.

Atori just grunted before beginning to snore.

It was hours later before the trio had finally reached the island's shore. By then, the sun had nearly faded and they were greeted with an array of lights shooting out from the island that stood out in the dark. It was as if a festival of sorts was happening in the town, making Ralli nearly fall overboard with excitement as he tried to see the festivities.

"Ooh! Do you guys think they're having a party?!" he crooned, ruby eyes wide as he took in the different colored lights and even his acute hearing was picking up on chants of glee. "Let's hurry, Ches! I want to see what's going on?!"

"I wish I could," the navigator replied, frowning slightly as his eyes took in the extremely packed docks around them. There were boats and ships and all around seafaring vessels of different type nestled neatly against the shipping docks. And even though the place was twice the size of Kaishi Island's, each and every ship was practically on top of the next trying to find a place to dock. There were even a few pirate ships that looked squeezed in just to find a place to rest.

"This place is so packed! How exactly are we supposed to –!" Ches stopped mid-sentence, holding on for dear life as their small boat nearly toppled over when some strange force suddenly jostled it. "The hell was that!"

Atori growled with irritation before jutting an incriminating finger over at the docks, docks that were nearly a 13 foot jump away from the boat. "Him," was all that the brunette said as he pointed out Ralli, who was standing atop the docks with a pleased smile on his face. Ches didn't even bother asking why or how.

"Hey, guys! Hurry up and secure the boat! I'll be in town!" red eye called before sprinting off with a wave of his hand.

"I wish you'd fallen into the water, you idiot!" Atori snarled, though Ralli was probably out of earshot by then. He then turned back to Ches, whose eyes were focused in on the boats around them for a place to dock. "You do realize we practically sold our souls to the devil by allowing Ralli to be our captain, right?"

Ches burst with laughter at the utter seriousness in Ato's tone. "What's life without a little bit of hell, Ato?" he replied, laughing again when Atori rolled his eyes.

* * *

Ralli's red eyes were wide as dinner plates and glowing just as bright as the many lights around him as he tried to hold in his budding excitement. He walked down a street, a street that was packed to the rim with people of all different creeds and ages. And on top of that, many of them were dressed in odd costumes, the type of outfit you'd think to see some over-exaggerated wrestler or fighter wearing. Some looked like luchadors, others looked like some kind of thuggish street fighters, and even a few were wrapped up like mummies.

He watched with wonder as two kids ran past him, both dressed in the luchadors outfit, as they ran down the street with bright laughs. "This place is so cool!" he chimed.

"Hey, buddy!" Ralli stopped mid-step, his face suddenly an inch and a half away from connecting with a man that had just miraculously appeared in front of him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not bothering to take a step back.

"Wanna buy a figurine?!" the fast talking man suddenly announced, leaping back with just enough room to hold out a small, plastic figure of a mummy. "A Bandaged Bruiser collectible. Only 40 beli!" the man spoke again, speaking so fast Ralli had to take just a moment to make sure he'd heard right.

"Um, no thanks," he answered, making a move to step around the salesman. But the man was persistent.

The guy practically leapt right in front of Ralli and quick fast said, "Tell ya what? Make it 60 beli and I'll throw in a Madhouse Brawler figurine." The man yanked out another figure, this one looking a little more like an actual person, but Ralli hardly gave the figure a second's glance before walking again.

"I said no." He moved to walked around again and the man was already in the way before he could take two good steps.

"How about –?"

"No."

"What about –?"

"No."

"Just look at –."

"I SAID NO!"

The whole little area around the two seemed to still as Ralli's voice carried over and all eyes fell on them. Red eye simply locked eyes with the pesky merchant, but the guy didn't budge an inch.

"Well, you'll just love –."

"UGH!" Ralli ran past the guy, not even caring that he'd nearly knocked the salesman onto the ground. "What's wrong with that guy?" he asked of himself and before he could form a good response, the voice of the salesman called from behind and Ralli deadpanned as he saw the merchant running after him with some other outrageous deals that Ralli couldn't pass up.

"Get away from me!" he demanded, picking up his pace as he took off down the street, but the man was hot on his heels with two more figurines and perfectly designed blanket just for red eye at a bargain's price.

In the end, it took Ralli fifteen good minutes to shake the salesman. Of course, the second he'd gotten rid of one, two more appeared out of nowhere to sell basically the same things. After being chased around the town for a complete thirty minutes, Ralli had finally given in to the pressure and was ready to buy something just to get them off his back. But of course, he didn't have any money and the second the salesmen realized that, they flew off like buzzards to the next carcass.

From there, Ralli had obviously found himself in the food vendors section of whatever was going on in the town.

His red eyes took in all of the varying vendors around him, the aromas coming from the foods nearly lifting him into the air from their lovely smells. And then, all of a sudden a smell so wonderful struck his nose that Ralli was sure that he was salivating, but didn't truly care. His head whipped over to a stand far off to the side that – judging by all of the customers – was obviously the best stand to stop at. A small banner around the top of it said _Mira's Cabin _in big bold letters and working were a group of younger guys – two that looked identical save for the different color bandanas around their head and then another guy with golden hair that made a long braid down his back. Working the food was an older man that basically looked like an older version of the twins. Ralli had nearly run right over to the stand to demand all of their food, but a quick pat of his pockets reminded him that he didn't have any money.

_Maybe I can tell them that Ato and Ches will come later to pay._ He thought for a moment before the older man working the food of the stand looked over in his direction. The man's eyes looked as cold as steel and Ralli was quick to shake the thought from his head. _Maybe not._

In an attempt to forget the savory food he'd smelled over at the Mira's Cabin stand, Ralli followed the crowd of bustling people until he'd found himself in a large square that was probably a big marketplace during the day. This looked like the true heart of whatever festivities were going on in the town. There were all kinds of little attractions and games about, some for kids and others for adults. And nestled right in the center of the grand square was a large stage with a big, fat man standing atop it. Truth be told, the guy looked more like a penguin, especially in the fancy suit he had on. His dark hair was slicked down and styled professionally onto his head and he wore big, thick shades over his eyes even though there was no sunlight in sight.

"Ahem!" the man's weaselly voice called as he spoke into the den den mushi positioned right in front of his face.

"Welcome to the Pre-Fight Festival, everyone!" the man called once more, his voice booming over the other noise of the festival and effectively silencing everyone else. As all eyes landed on him, he offered a mischievous smirk. "Are You Ready?!" he yelled once again and almost instantly the entire crowd broke off into an uproar of cheers. Ralli had even had to cover his ears from the onslaught they'd taken from the unexpected noise.

"I can't hear youuuu!" the man demanded, egging the crowd on with a cunning smirk. The crowd braced themselves and Ralli did the same, pulling back his hearing as much as possible. "C'mon people! Make the whole West Blue hear us tonight! I SAID 'ARE YOU READYYYYY?!"

The earth at Ralli's feet trembled as the crowd surrounding him burst with a chaotic roar that could've made an earthquake envious.

The penguin onstage chuckled from the crowd's uproar and began speaking again. "Well, then. Don't let me stand in your way!" He swiped a hand back, moving to the side as two huge, burly men moved onto the stage – one dressed up in the luchador uniform that seemed popular amongst some of the spectators.

"Here you are." Ralli whipped his head around to the voice, not at all surprised to see Ches and an annoyed-looking Atori standing behind him. "Having fun?" the rainbow chirped.

Ralli's head could've popped off he nodded it so quickly. "This place is so awesome, guys! Well, except for the annoying sales people, but other than that, it's so cool here!"

"Yeah, we met them too." Ches pointed over to Atori with a smirk on his face. "But Ato cleared them out pretty quick. Believe it or not, he just glared at them. I guess those eyes of his can do good sometimes."

"Shut up, Ches!" the brunette barked.

Ralli smiled happily at the two. "So, do you have any idea where we are, Ches?"

Just as Ches opened his mouth to speak, there was an incredible slamming noise over at the stage. Ralli and the others turned to watch just as the crowd roared again with praise. The luchador was now standing proudly on the stage, his arms in the air as a sign of triumph as the other man lied out flat. There had obviously been a fight and the luchador was the winner.

"Give it up for 'The Masked Maniac!'" the man called once more as the crowd cheered with applause.

The crowd broke off into to warming chant for the fighter. "Maniac! Maniac! Maniac! Maniac!" they cheered, and Ralli's eyes grew wide at the excitement the crowd exuded from just one minor fight.

Ches smiled at the look on Ralli's face and clapped a reassuring hand over his captain's shoulder. "This is a place that I know you'll enjoy, captain. A world where fighting begets honor, infamy, and above all things – Glory! Welcome to Glory Island!"

* * *

**Booyah! An island where people love a good fight. I'm sure Ralli's in heaven. XD At first I wasn't going to add in the bit with salemen, but I had remembered going to a mall once and this guy nearly chased my mom and I down trying to sale some kind of lotion. My mom took a more Atori approach to handling him though. Pesky buzzards! A little more action next time though!**

**See ya Friday!**


	9. Give it Up for West Blue's Champion!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Excitement in the Town Square! Give it up for the West Blue's Champion!"**

"So, without over exaggeration, this is a place where a bunch of idiots can come to get famous by beating up other idiots?" Atori asked mockingly as he casually munched on the popcorn in his hands and then grimaced when he saw that his bag was now empty. He looked down the wall that he was leaned against and looked at Ralli and Ches that were seated on the ground. The rainbow nodded and Ato scoffed before tossing the empty bag to the ground. "Sounds stupid to me."

They were all still at the festivities of Glory Island, lounging around in the square after getting something to eat. They'd sat through three quick fights courtesy of West Blue's Fight Club and were now in a bit of an intermission of the ceremony. The hundreds of spectators had taken to the various games around the area or to the food vendors over on the next street, if not just standing around in expectation of what was supposed to be the night's main event show.

Ches took a quick sip of his drink before opening his mouth to speak. "I don't think we're exactly in a position to comment, Ato. We did the same thing for a while too, you know." He threw a quick glance up at Atori, trying hard not to flinch at the glare of Ato's green eyes. "The only difference is that these fights happen once a week and are a bit…cleaner."

"Cleaner?" Ralli took his eyes off of his array of snacks to look at the rainbow.

"Yeah, cleaner. Basically, the people in these fights don't have to worry about losing by way of death. I can't tell you how many times I thought that I'd die in those seedy, underground death traps that Ato and I had fought in. This," he gestured to the surroundings in a grand sweep of his hand. " is something that I really wanted to be a part of. Just good, clean fun." He threw a handful of the popcorn into his mouth, munching on it with wide cheeks which made Ralli chuckle

"That sounds boring if you ask me," the brunette commented.

"So why'd you fight if you were so worried?" red eye asked again.

Ches stopped chewing on the popcorn in his mouth suddenly, looking a bit alarmed for all of a second before it passed and he chewed again, albeit a bit more slowly. He tossed one quick glance to Ato, seeing that the brunette was indeed listening and then turned back to the crowd of people in front of them. He shrugged. "Felt like it," was his nonchalant response around the mass of popcorn kernels in his mouth.

Ato made a mental note of yet another thing to learn about Ches in the future, but turned away to the stage nonetheless. The fat penguin man was walking back onto the platform and headed for the positioned den den mushi to speak.

"By the way, that's Tobias Grecko. He's the man behind all of this, the owner of the West Blue Fight Club, and promoter of their weekly 'Fight Night' exhibition. This festival that they're having right now is a pre-fest that they have the night before every Fight Night. And considering how many people are here, I'd say that tomorrow night's event must be something special." Ches took another quick swig of his drink before turning to Ralli. "So, if you want to become a fighter, that's the man that you need to see."

Ralli looked up at the stage, hardly getting a good glimpse of Grecko before all of the people began moving in for a better view of the stage. The only thing running through red eye's mind is the way the man smiled. Grecko seemed far from the type of man that you'd want to affiliate with. He shook his head in response. "Naa! I'd rather be King of the Pirates than fight for that guy."

"I figured," Ches smirked before tossing a popcorn kernel into the air to catch in his mouth. But Ato swiped down too quick and snatched the kernel for himself, earning a spiteful glare from the rainbow. "Hey!"

Grecko stepped right up to the den den mushi, his mischievous smile practically painted on his face. "Now, is the time that you've all been waiting for," the man's weaselly voice hissed through the speaker system. But the crowd seemed numb to Grecko's cunning and cheered instead with the thought of the main event. "Give it up for the Fight Night champion, the Bandaged Bruiser!"

On cue, the crowd erupted in a fit of rowdy cheering, children, men and women screaming without a care in the world. And as the crowd went wild, Grecko turned from the snail and watched as a mummified figure stepped onto the stage. Ralli and the others watched the supposed champ with unblinking eyes as he stepped up onto the platform. The guy was wrapped from head to toe in bandages and was dressed in the most ragged of clothing you'd ever seen. Not to mention that he was unbelievably small. The Masked Maniac could've been twice the size of this guy, and somehow he'd managed to become a champion? Ralli and the others shared a skeptical look before looking back onto the stage as the champ came to stand right by Grecko's side. The fight promoter sized up his champ in one fell swoop before taking a careful moment to look at the glorious golden championship belt around the man's waist.

"Now, we know that our champion is the strongest on all the seas!" Grecko chimed, turning back to the crowd with that sneaky smirk on his lips. "He's beaten anyone and everyone that has ever dared to stand in his way and has maintained a whopping 99-0 record!" The crowd cheered again at that bit of information, cheering the Bruiser's name with enthusiasm. "But did you know that there are people out there that dare to call our champion a hoax, a phony, a WEAKLING!" Grecko seethed, his voice invoking anger within the crowd.

"The champ'll kick their butts!" "He's the greatest!" "Our champ is champ of all!" the varying jeers ranted against Grecko's words, disgusted with the thought.

Grecko nodded his head in kind with their support before turning to the champion with a questioning eye. "Bruiser, do you think you are weak?" The muted champ turned his bandaged face over to Grecko, as his blue eyes looked right into the promoter's face. Then, all of a sudden, the Bruiser threw his head back with a mighty battle cry that struck out over the area like a siren. Everyone, including the trio of pirates, had to cover their ears from the onslaught upon their hearing and when he'd finished his mighty battle cry, he straightened back up and hit Grecko with the most damning glare possible.

The fight promoter took just a second to recover his hearing before turning to the audience with a pleased smile. "Well, I think that answers the question, right folks?"

"YEAH!" they cheered in kind.

"Are we going to let them keep taunting our champ?"

"NO!"

"Champ?" Grecko hissed, turning to the bandaged man again with a serious look. "Are…you…ready?" The champ nodded assertively just once and then Grecko turned around again to three huge men that stepped onto the stage – all three of them dressed in sumo attire. The three sumos moved up onto the platform, each of them taking a corner before focusing in on the champ. Grecko looked over the large men with a curt nod before looking at the crowd once more. "These are the Sumo Triplets of South Blue! A rival fight promoter from that dreaded sea has challenged our champion to a fight, doubting that the Bruiser can defeat the triplets. Do you agree with this man?"

The crowd instantly booed the thought. Even Ralli was booing loudly, cheering on the champ as if they were friends.

"I didn't think so." Grecko then turned back to the champ with that cunning smirk. "What say you, champ? Do you think you have what it takes to defeat the sumo triplets?" The champ didn't need half a second to nod his head, making Grecko's smile turn a bit sinister. "Is that so? Well, do you think you can do it in under ten seconds?"

"Oooh!" Ralli cheered, genuinely interested at the twist. "I don't think that the champ can beat them all in ten seconds. He doesn't look that strong."

"Who could defeat three sumos in ten seconds?" Ches demanded.

Atori scoffed. "I could."

"Me too." Ralli added.

"Whatever," was Ches's quick response.

Back on stage, the champ had pondered the question for about two seconds before nodding his head once more, making Grecko ooh! and aah! with glee. "Our champion truly is something else, is he not?" The fight promoter then moved off of the stage with the smile on his face. "Well then, champ. Don't let us hold you back. In fact! Let's cheer him on for encouragement folks!" Grecko stepped off into the crowd, carrying the den den mushi as he spoke. "From here, we'll give you the countdown, Bruiser. You've got until we reach the count of ten to take down all of those sumos, got it?"

The champ nodded and he'd hardly gotten the chance to take a fighting position before Grecko called, "1!"

The sumos bolted right for the champ. All of their massive frames shook the stage with each stomp they took until they'd run right upon the Bruiser. And with a collective roar, they all threw fists toward the competitor.

"3!"

The champ managed to evade the collective attack and moved to the side of sumo one. But he'd hardly had a second to analyze the situation before sumo one spun around with a massive arm to take him out. Bruiser narrowly dodged the arm of sumo one, but was caught off guard as sumo two swung out with a fist that knocked him across the stage.

"6!"

Sumo three rushed from his brothers and stomped right over to the dazed fighter. The champ just barely made it to his feet before he was forced to dodge to the left of the sumo three's punch and then his eyes widened when he saw the other two sumos charging in for the attack.

"8!"

The champ sprinted away from sumo three, moving right for the other duo. He ducked under a punch from sumo two and leapt over a clumsy kick from sumo one.

"9!"

The sumos all turned back to the champ, growling menacingly as they saw the champ just stand there. The bandages around the mouth of the Bruiser seemed to shift a bit, almost as if the champ was smiling. And then, the sumos noticed they were positioned one in front of the other, in a straight line.

"10!"

The champ broke off the surface of the stage and sped right for sumo one. Before the huge man could even think of moving, the champ was off the ground and shooting forward with a thunderous punch. Sumo one's face contorted with such pain from the impact and soon enough, he was blown off of his feet and sent crashing headfirst into sumo two, and then the two sumos crashed into sumo three. The sheer power of the champ's punch blew the trio of sumos off the stage and crashing down into the surrounding audience, all of them unconscious.

The crowd was stunned for all of three seconds before they erupted with such a massive cheer, it felt like the whole island would shake apart from their declaration. Meanwhile, the trio were standing to the side, still too shocked to be annoyed by the rowdy cheer.

"Well I be damned. The guy actually did it," Atori marveled.

"What a punch! That guy's incredible!" Ches exclaimed.

And Ralli just rocked back and forth on his feet with a wide smile on his face.

Just as the crowd was beginning to calm itself, Grecko stepped back out onto the stage, his face a portrait of sneakiness. "Wasn't that great!" he cheered, rousing another declaration from the crowd. He stepped right over to the champ, snatching the Bruiser by his arm before thrusting it into the air. "Give it up for the Fight Night Champion!" More cheering and over all screaming. "Yes, folks! This is the kind of excitement Fight Night promises and if you truly enjoyed yourself tonight, then you'll be bursting with joy this time tomorrow night when our beloved champ dukes it out with the master thrasher, the minister of mayhem! It's going be the Bandaged Bruiser vs the Madhouse Brawler!"

With a swing of his hand, Grecko pointed off to the side of the stage, where a tall man stood. The man's skin was nearly as dark as the brown hair that flowed from his skull past his shoulder. He wore dark, heavy boots over even darker pants. And around his torso was a long, sleeveless trench coat that was left open to show his rigged midsection. His large muscle mass in addition to the menacing scowl over his face, and you had a recipe for danger. Indeed, he looked like one heck of a brawler. The kind that wouldn't hesitate to crack you over the skull with a 2x4 or pound your face in with a brick.

The Brawler allowed his scowl to bore into the champ's face for just a moment before raising a single arm, thrusting a fist in the air to already announce his triumph. Half the crowd seemed to roar with excitement while the other half seemed to boo the challenger's bold move. Meanwhile, the champ simply stepped closer to the Brawler, walking right until he'd reached the edge of the stage, before unfasting the champion's belt around his waist and thrusting into the air, a sign of his dominance as champ. The crowd went wild as the fighters simply glared at one another.

"24 hours, people!" Grecko's voice suddenly chimed in, his own eyes watching the display between the fighters. "24 hours until the start of the most exciting show on the West Blue. We'll see you all again…at Fight Night!" Streamers and fireworks exploded from the stage, the spectacle show igniting the area with dancing lights while the two competitors didn't break contact for a second.

* * *

"That. Was. So. COOL!" Ralli exclaimed, the boy practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.

The trio walked along the streets of Glory Island's town, having left the town square once the pre-fest had come to an end. Ralli had wanted to bring the duo back over to some food stand that he'd saw earlier, but was saddened to find that the stand closed. And now, with nothing else to do, they simply walked, taking in some of the sights of the area.

Atori scoffed at Ralli's childish excitement. "I think the whole thing was staged. No way one guy is so strong to have taken out three sumos with only one punch. C'mon, they had to have paid them off to fall off of the stage like that. And then the cheesy little 'I'm gonna kick your ass' glare-off between the the champ and that other guy at the end. It seems a little too real for my taste. I'd much rather fight underground style."

"With all of the blood, sweat, and gore that comes with it?" Ches crooned and sighed when Atori happily nodded his head. "That sounds like you, Atori."

Ralli just stuck out his tongue. "You just like hurting people, Ato!" And the brunette didn't deny the allegation.

Instead, a silence fell on the crew for a while as they'd continued walking. It was only after they'd realized that they'd walked down the same street three times, that Ches spoke up again. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not ready to turn in for the night yet." And Ralli and Atori were quick to voice their agreements, earning them a sly smile from Ches. "Well, then. Let's go somewhere I'm sure Atori can enjoy." He started walking, making the others follow from his cryptic words. "It's not a place full of blood, gore, or fighting. But, I think it's a place better suited for fellows such as us," he added after a moment.

Atori rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to be cryptic and just tell us where we're going!" he demanded and suddenly stopped on a dime when Ches whipped around to them both with a cunning smirk.

"Why, the area of excitement for all pirates on Glory Island!" the rainbow declared before turning back around and stepping off again. "Let's go party it up on Pirate Alley!"

* * *

**A pretty short update for you guys, but I just couldn't find too much else to add into this chapter. Don't fret, though. Because our favorite pirates are on their way to the illustrious Pirate Alley! There's no way that this will turn out bad, just no way at all...absolutely no way. XD And how about that champ! Three sumos down with one punch? Talk about a mega punch! Expect excitment and more action for the next update.**

**See ya next Wednesday!**


	10. Enter the Madhouse Pirate Captain!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"The Fun Turns to Trouble on Pirate Alley! Enter the Madhouse Pirate Captain!"**

The walk to Pirate Alley took all of about ten minutes for the trio. The path led them down a variety of corridors between buildings, moving through the area like rats. But, judging from the whispers of music and laughter, they could tell that they were definitely on the right track. Along the way, Ches had explained the basics of the area. That the place had originally become a hangout spot for pirates when the West Blue's Fight Club had begun growing in popularity. And on these pre-fest nights, all the pirates would gather in the alley for entertainment instead of strolling around with the crowds of normal folk. But something seemed amiss, as the crew turned their final corner and looked down the stretch of alley that led to the wide opening of partying pirates. Standing at the threshold were two men, supposedly pirates given their facial expressions and clothing.

"Are they guards?" Atori asked, his eyes focusing in with an intense glare once he saw the two pirates take a protective stance in the threshold to block their path. "Since when do pirates have guards?"

Ches watched the two men closely, before replying, "I don't know. Things must've changed since I'd last come around here."

"You three look lost," one of the pirates suddenly called as the trio came to a stop in front of him and his friend. The guy looked pretty young, his dark hair a stringy mess with a bandana that was pulled over one eye. He had on a loose fitting white shirt with a jolly roger marked over the front – a skull with dark brown hair that looked to be laughing with golden cross bones behind it. Strapped to his brown trouser pants was a cutlass and judging from how tense the guy looked, he'd probably be willing to pull the weapon any second.

"This isn't a place for pedestrians, ya know," the other one chimed, a large man with a bushy beard and wild, black eyes. He had the same jolly roger marked on his stained and nasty looking red shirt. And at the side of his equally brown pants was another cutlass. "Why don'tcha just run along? This ain't the place for people like you."

Ralli sized the two up with red eyes and ignored them. He walked ahead as if they weren't standing in the way, but he'd hardly taken three steps before the bandana pirate yanked off his cutlass and placed the tip at Ralli's head. Red eye stopped walking for the sake of not cutting himself, but he simply watched the shining blade as if it were a pesky fly. "We're here for Pirate Alley, so move out of our way," he demanded.

The fat pirate barked a roar of laughter and looked to his friend. "Hear that, Eric? They're here for Pirate Alley! What a laugh!" The man then turned back to Ralli with an amused glare. "Get lost kid. We don't entertain the likes of you."

"Listen to Gooma, boy," the other pirate – Eric – added before pushing the sword just a bit closer, until the tip was touching Ralli's forehead. "Just go on back to the little pre-fest with the other land guppies."

"Why don't you two idiots back off?" Atori threatened, stepping up until he was at Ralli's side. He didn't even bother reaching for his tonfa, knowing that he could take the two without them. "Unless of course, you want to make us turn back." His tone was solid as stone and his eyes were a stream of ice. Even Eric had flinched a bit when Ato locked eyes with him.

"I'd advise you guys to step aside." Ches was at Ralli's other side, his hands in his pockets and clutching knives as he focused in on Gooma.

"And do it now!" Ralli demanded, reaching up to take a hold of Eric's cutlass between his index and thumb. With hardly any effort, red eye pushed the blade from his head and locked eyes with the bandana-wearing man.

Gooma and Eric shared a look for just a moment before bursting with laughter. A second later, Eric yanked the sword from Ralli's fingers and placed it back at his side. They both shot the trio a warm smile and then stepped aside to allow them entrance. "You three may not be pirates," Eric chimed.

"But you're definitely badass enough to party with them!" Gooma finished and swept his hand out to usher them on through.

Ralli's face smiled at the compliment and took a step, but once again, he felt steel against his skin when Gooma suddenly drew his sword and placed it at red eye's neck. "Be warned though, kid," the large pirate said, ignoring the hateful glare Atori was sending him. "Start any trouble in here and we won't hesitate to skin ya alive."

Ralli looked down at the sword for just a moment before his eyes rose up to meet Gooma's. Then, the boy smiled wickedly. "Good luck with that!" he chimed and walked on ahead, ignoring the small cut in his neck from when he'd walked past Gooma's sword. Atori and Ches followed with no problems and the trio was suddenly wrapped in music, lights, laughter, and excitement.

The whole clearing was a long rectangular area, about 40 meters long with an array of different pirates lined up in various areas. There were all sorts of games about – an arm wrestling table, a card table, booze drinking table just to name a few. And you better believe for every act of fun, there was a layer of gambling on each activity. A group of musicians were set up against a wall, all of them playing a jaunty tune that made the place seem more like a party than just a mere gathering of criminals.

"Now this is more of my atmosphere," Atori crooned, smiling devilishly when a stray pirate suddenly tripped over a crate from obvious inebriation.

"I figured that you'd like it," Ches added with a pleased expression on his face. The second his eyes landed on the collection of men drinking their lives away, he split off from the trio. "I'll be at the booze table if any of you need me."

"And I'll be at the arm wrestling table!" Ralli declared, bouncing away on a cloud of elation.

Atori watched the two wander off before he looked over at the collection of pirates with cards in their hands. "Haven't played a good card game in a while," he shrugged and stepped over to the join the crew.

The booze table was a roar of inebriation and all around fun. The men's eyes were droopy from alcohol and their words a slurred frenzy of incoherence. And Ches couldn't have had it any other way.

Three men, two of which sported the same jolly roger as the two pirate guards, suddenly slammed their empty mugs onto the table. And not a second later, did the other pirate fall onto the wooden surface, completely passed out. "Ha! An ther go another guy!" the man sitting in the middle proclaimed, his cheeks reddened from obvious intoxication. His friend at his left opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a hiccup before he fell back in his seat, now passed out as well.

"I shwear, yu all be real *hiccup* lightweights." The drunken man then looked over at Ches as the rainbow walked into the crowd. He faked as if he were being blinded with light and pointed Ches out. "You'r gonna blind me wit all them colorsh, boy-o!" he slurred before waving Ches to take a seat. Two of the surrounding pirates cleared away the two drunken men and allowed Ches to sit next to the guy. "The name's Nile! How it be goin'!"

Nile stuck out a friendly hand and Ches apprehensively shook it. "I'm fine, Nile. I'm just here to enjoy the festivities of Pirate Alley is all," he responded, but frowned when Nile shook his head stubbornly.

The drunken man made a sloppy wave to one of the surrounding pirates and soon enough a mug of alcohol was slammed on the table in front of Ches. "Noooo," the man sang, with his eyes fluttering close for a moment before sprouting back open. "If you be at *hiccup* this table, then you be lookin for a drink, boy-o!"

Ches didn't even make an effort to decline and reached out to take the tankard, but for a drunk man, Nile was quick to halt him. "No offense," the man said, catching the irritated glint in Ches's eye. "But round here, the drinks aren't free. If ya want to take part in the drinking, ya've got to play a game. If you can tosh back more drink than me, ya win!"

"Sounds simple enough," Ches instantly replied and tried to reach for the tankard again but was again stopped.

"Also," Nile's chimed, like a sneaky salesman. "We play for beli, boy-o. And shince you're new, I'll go easy. I'm thinkin 7000 beli a game."

Ches pondered over the thought for a moment and then looked over to his comrades. Ralli looked to be having a stare down with a large man at the wrestling table and Atori was just then sitting down to a table of cards. No one had said not to gamble. He carefully patted his pockets and knew that he didn't have more than 5000 beli to his name. _Oh well, I'm sure Atori could help me out if I lose._ Throwing caution to the win, Ches snatched at his tumbler and leveled Nile with a serious eye. "You just gonna sit there, Nile. Or are we gonna drink?"

The man smiled with glee and waved over for his own refilled mug. "I likesh ya, boy-o!" he cheered before tossing the drink back and Ches followed suit.

Atori stepped through the crowd surrounding the playing table and thanked his lucky stars that the pirates had just happened to finish their game, and three angry men stomped away from the table as the obvious losers. Left sitting was an older guy with a patch over his left eye and a straggly black beard. He cackled a mad man's laugh and called out to ask if there were any more victims that wanted to try their hand at beating the old card shark.

Atori didn't waste a second before falling into a seat and glaring the man down. "I'll try this out, old man," he said.

The man didn't seem at all bothered by the given nickname and instead laughed wryly. "New blood, I see!" man crooned, shuffling around a stack of cards with extreme finesse. "Got a name, old evil eye." The man laughed out again when Atori glared at him for his own nickname.

"It's Atori and what's this game we're playing?" he asked of the man, hardly noticing when the other men joined the table with them.

"Nice to meet ya, Atori, but I still be calling ya evil eye. And my name's Pippy! Or around here they call me the card shark. As for the game," the man did a flourishing shuffle with the cards, practically shooting them from one hand into the other. "I like to call it Castle Tower. We play four rounds in each game and the goal of each round is to gather the highest amount of points. A king is twenty. A queen is 17. A jack is 14. And from there, the numbered cards tell you their points. Get two of the same kind, ya double your points. Three, then its tripled. And so on. At the end of the fourth round, all points earned are calculated and the winner is the one with the highest score. Sound easy enough, evil eye?" Pippy questioned, and cackled when Atori glared at him for the nickname again. "And let me tell you now, we don't approve of cheating of any kind." The man's voice fell to a dangerous growl as he said, "Try to cheat me, boy, and I'll have your hand."

Atori wasn't the least bit fazed, but nodded nonetheless. "And let me guess, we gamble here, right?"

"Spot on, spot on!" Pippy did another lavish shuffle of his cards before settling them perfectly on the table. "And since ya seem like a good kid, we can start off simple. How does 12500 beli grab ya?"

Atori pondered the amount for a moment before turning to glance back at Ralli and Ches. Let's face it. He didn't have a single coin to his name at the moment, but there was no way he'd tell that old man that. All that meant was that he had to win. Easy enough. "I gotcha, old man. Just deal the cards!"

Pippy cackled again. "You've got the perfect poker face, evil eye! You're gonna be a worthy challenge, alright!"

Over at the arm wrestling table, two men – both with biceps the size of melons – struggled against one another in a desperate attempt at victory. Around the men, a crowd of pirates cheered, yelling for a winner to be crowned. And soon enough one of the men grew red in the face from exertion and his struggling arm began to move back against the might of the other pirate. The struggling guy held on for dear life, but could only hold out for a second longer before his hand was slammed down on the table with such force that his entire body was thrown to the ground.

The crowd of pirates erupted in cheers as the victor jumped to his feet, the man's broad and barreled chest heaving as he thrusted his hands in the air in triumph. "YEAH!" the man bellowed. "NO ONE CAN BEAT TITAN!" On his chest was the painted jolly roger of the very same pirates that had been guarding the alley. And even a few of the spectating pirates had the same emblem in various spots on their clothing.

But Ralli paid none of this any mind as he raced over to the table. He offered one unfazed glance to the man on the ground, who was still clutching at his arm, before turning to the victor with a bright smile. "I wanna go next," he demanded, slamming his hands down on the table to emphasize the challenge.

The large, mountainous man of a pirate looked down at Ralli with scrutinizing eyes before arming himself with a razor sharp smile. He leaned down to prop himself up on the table and locked eyes with Ralli. "We don't play for sport over here, kid," he demanded, his voice as grizzly as a bear's. "You wanna try me? You gotta put some money on it. And just because I'm in a good mood, I'll go easy on ya." He looked Ralli over real quick, sizing up the muscular stature of the boy before saying, "We'll put 10000 beli on the match."

Ralli paled a bit at the thought of money before turning a quick glance over to the table where Ches was drinking away. The rainbow had never specifically said that they couldn't bet money, so Ralli didn't see the harm in a little betting. Anything for a good physical sport. "Deal!" he chimed, turning back to the large man with a bright smile.

The crowd around snickered as the two moved to sit down at the table, some of them feeling bad for the poor boy to have to go against the large brute and others outright calling Ralli dumb for challenging the unbeatable Titan.

An officiating pirate stood above the table, watching Ralli's and Titan's clasped hands to make sure neither was trying anything funny. He looked them both over to make sure they were ready and swiped his hand down for the go. Instantly, both competitors strained against the grasp of the other. And though Titan's arm was as big as Ralli's entire head, the big brute couldn't budge Ralli's arm a single inch, making some of the pirates ooh and ahh at the show. They'd been at it for nearly twenty tense seconds before Ralli's face glowed with a bright smile. Veins sprouted from red eye's arm as he pressed more of his strength into the push and soon enough, Titan's arm was beginning to fall. The brutish man's eyes sprouted in shock of the event and his face turned as red as a tomato as he tried desperately to push back. But once Ralli had started, he didn't let up. No matter how much Titan grunted, hissed, whined, and eventually begged, the match ended when red eye slammed the brute's hand down into the table with such force that the wood broke on impact.

The crowd was too stunned to cheer.

Meanwhile, Ralli was smiling like a Cheshire cat as he folded his arms and looked down at the now sprawled out Titan. "That was fun! Let's do it again!" he chimed.

* * *

Three hours had passed. Three hours of arm wrestling for Ralli – having beaten Titan three times before taking on any random person and had even allowed three weaker men to test his strength at the same time. Three hours of drinking for Ches – who'd soundly beaten Niles after the second hour and had just been knocking the alcohol back against anyone who dared to challenge him. And three hours of cards playing for Atori – who had out sharked the card shark and anyone else who thought that they were lucky enough to beat him. After it was all said and done, the trio had entered Pirate Alley with hardly 7000 beli to their name and three hours later, were holding a total sum of 187,500 beli. Not too shabby considering who they'd been gambling with.

"Thanks for the game, old man!" Atori called, turning away from the old card shark with 62500 beli in his hands. He completely ignored how just about every single pirate surrounding the table looked as if they'd been struck by lightning and the fact that Pippy looked on the verge of a heart attack. Instead, he stuffed the money in his pocket and moved to gather with his crew.

Ralli offered to go another round with Titan and the guys, but the group of pirates could only look at red eye as if he was the devil himself. The boy shrugged at their fearful looking expression and turned away from the table. "Well, I had fun!" he called, stuffing his 90000 beli in his back pocket. "Hope we can do it again sometime!"

"C'mon, guys!" Ches muttered, absently poking at Niles's passed out head on the table. He then looked around at the rest of the pirates, and sighed when he saw over half of them had also passed out from trying to keep up with the rainbow. And for the ones left standing, they could only whisper and whimper amongst themselves, as if they thought the end of the world was coming soon. The knife thrower was far too inebriated at that point to analyze the situation and instead pushed his 35000 beli into his pocket and stumbled up from the table a bit. He took one last swig of the booze, allowing the warmth of it to color his cheeks with a twinge of red, before turning to reconvene with Ralli and Atori.

The three met up right back in their earlier spot, now over 150,000 beli richer, and outright laughed at one another's fortune.

"Ches, are you drunk?" Atori asked, the newfound money and excitement actually making him smile as he watched their navigator hardly stand straight.

Ches shook his head no for a long moment before saying, "Just a little bit." He held up his fingers to indicate the small amount. "But I've only been drinking for three hours straight. It's justified." And even Atori had to admit that it was impressive, considering the rainbow was still coherent and on his own two feet.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I had fun arm wrestling over there," Ralli exclaiming, tossing a thumb over to the destroyed table where the group of oddly frightened pirates still stood. "And I made so much money, too!" He yanked out the beli from his pocket to show them and Atori did the same to show his amount.

"We all did," the rainbow proclaimed before his smile grew wider. "I think I'll have to come back to Pirate Alley again someday. We all should!" He spread his arms wide with the declaration and snatched up Ralli and Atori in a messy yet friendly headlock.

"If we do, we're not letting you get this drunk again!" Atori demanded with an effort to free himself, but apparently a drunk Ches was stronger than a regular one.

"Wait!" a voice suddenly proclaimed, calling back the attentions of the trio. They stopped and turned to the voice, just then noticing that the jaunty music of the evening had stopped and that nearly every pirate in the alley were standing against them – including Eric, Gooma, a drunken Niles, Titan, and Pippy. And standing ahead of all the pirates – pirates that just so happened to all be sporting the same pirate emblem– was a solitary man. He was an inch or so shorter that Atori and had black, wavy short cut hair. His skin didn't hold a spec of tan, though he looked far from ghostly. It was just an ivory shade that seemed to make his oddly violet-colored eyes stand out even more. He wore a maroon colored pair of trouser pants that stuffed off into typical black pirate boots, an assortment of silver chain accessories hanging from one side of the pants. Over his torso was a loose fitting dark blue t-shirt and over that was a short, black, leather vest with the pirate's jolly roger over the chest. And across the man's back was a stunningly long rapier sword that looked every bit as long as his body. He had a slim figure that looked the least intimidating in comparison to the rest of the supposed pirate crew, but something about the way that he stood conveyed strength and authority.

The man took one step away from the pirates at his back and focused his violet eyes in on the trio. "You three can't leave just yet," he demanded, arms folded as he watched the group.

"Why not?" Ralli asked, stepping forward to challenge the man. And though he was a bit shorter than the guy, he looked every bit as commanding. And while red eye glared across at the violet eyed man, even Ches in his inebriated state could see the trembling pirate hoard standing in the background and he'd only just now realized that they looked scared for their lives.

The man held Ralli's gaze for a moment longer before speaking up. "You've all earned a lot of money tonight," he said. "It's more than anyone else has ever earned in Pirate Alley, period."

"Let me guess, now you're all pissed that we swooped in here and cleaned house, huh?" Atori stepped over to Ralli's side, his glare just as icy as the man's across from them. "It's not our fault your men suck. You gambled and you lost. Get over it!"

"You dirty bastards had to have been cheating us!" a voice called from the group of pirates. "Give us our money back!" another one said. "We have to get it back, men!" a final voice yelled and soon the whole hoard was growing rowdy as if ready to attack.

But whatever plans they had were quickly silenced as the violet eyed man suddenly turned to them with a vicious glare. He watched them angrily for a moment before turning back to the trio. "Look, you three are leaving out with a lot of money right now, money that we'd like to get back. Care to try your hand with more gambling?" He tried to offer a hopeful smile, but it wasn't accepted on the trio's part.

"No. We're leaving," Ralli demanded, turning his back on the pirate, but he'd hardly taken a step before the man's voice suddenly growled out over the area.

"You cannot leave with that money!" he proclaimed with a roaring call.

Atori was the first to turn back to the guy, with green eyes looking right into the man's soul. "Watch us!" was all he said before they began walking again, ignorant to the yells and pleads coming from the mass of pirates in the background.

"Please, Reese! You have to get our money back!" "Stop them, sir! Do something before it's too late?!" the various calls declared, all of them working to itch at the pirate's – apparently named Reese – mind.

"Double or nothing!" Reese suddenly called, making the trio halt for a second time. When they turned back, the violet eyed man's face was a picture of confidence, yet a layer of contempt was hidden beneath. "Double or nothing!"

"And what's the challenge?" Atori asked, the thought of more gambling seeming to pique his interest.

That made Reese smile. With a flourish, the man yanked his sword from his back, swinging the extremely long blade around before pointing it directly at the trio. "All you have to do is beat me!" Reese proclaimed with a devilish smile. "And if you can do it with swords, I'll triple your payout!"

This certainly snagged the crew's attention. All of them quickly calculated the profit and were astounded to realize that they could walk away from Pirate Alley with over 500,000 beli if they played their cards right. But suddenly Ralli frowned.

He turned to Atori. "I'm pretty sure I can kick this guy's ass, but there's no way I can do it using swords. We'll just have to take the double."

Instead of commenting, Atori took a step forward with his own cunning smile. "You've got yourself a deal, Reese!" the brunette said. "And I'd like to fight you with blades, although I'm afraid I'm all out. Surely, you don't mind…" He let the words trail off and Reese caught the implication.

The violet eyed man turned back to his crew, calling for one sword – and then a second one when Atori said that he worked better with dual weapons. Reese stood for just a moment, sizing Ato up as the brunette swiped the swords around to get a feel for the weapons. "I hope those are to your liking," he finally said, capturing Atori's attention once more. Ato smiled wickedly.

"Yeah, they'll do," he answered and then reached down to yank out the tonfas in his boots. "Take these, Ralli." He handed the metal weapons to red eye and then allowed his captain to move far out of the way before taking a battle stance.

Reese followed suit, raising his long sword to point right at Ato's skull. "For the sake of formalities, my name is Landser Reese, swordsman of the Feruk Pirates," he proclaimed, tilting his blade ever so slightly as he smiled with mischief.

If Atori was the least bit intimidated, it didn't show. "I like knowing the names of my victims. Makes the win all the more special." He chuckled darkly as the man watched expectantly. "Well then, in that case, my name is Otami Atori!" He swiped the swords through the air with the flourish of true swordsmanship before settling with both weapons aimed for Reese. "And I'm first mate and swordsman of…of…" Then, he paused, unsure of what exactly the name of their pirate crew was. Before he could even think of a name, Ralli blurted it for him.

"He's the first mate and swordsmen of the Battle Bar Pirates!" he exclaimed proudly.

Atori was ready to denounce the name, but didn't get the chance before the crew of pirates standing far behind Reese roared with laughter. "Battle Bar Pirates? What a ridiculous name!" one called. "These little brats just haven't learned their place yet!" another called. "The mighty Battle Bars! They sound so scary!" another mocking voice proclaimed. But all of their laughing was cut short when Ralli emitted a primal roar that could've made a grown wet his pants in fear.

Ralli's claws and teeth had sharpened to a deadly precision and a layer of black fur was already working its way up his face and arms. "Make fun of my crew again! I dare you!" he roared, his voice deep and grizzly as his ability was on the verge of sending him into an animalistic breakdown.

Needless to say, not a single Feruk pirate made another peep for a long, long moment.

When the shock of Ralli's roar passed, Atori turned back to Reese, and was a bit surprised to see that the man's eyes hadn't left Ato's figure for a second. _Trained precision? This guy might actually prove to be interesting._ "Just going to stare at me all night, or are we going to get this started already?"

Reese didn't need a second of thought before he sprang from the ground like a gazelle. With his sword's immense reach, he dove right at Atori with a stabbing strike, but the brunette easily managed to sidestep the lunge but was instantly thrown on the defensive when Reese swung the long blade around to cut his neck off.

"Get 'em, Reese! Show that punk whose boss around here!" the pirates called from their gathering.

Atori swung around his blades, the swords swiping up to strike at Reese's long sword with ringing clashes. The violet eyed man struck out with a set of stabbing moves, his long sword definitely giving him an advantage as Atori fought desperately to keep from being impale. He suddenly dodged around one piercing strike and swung around the right blade to slap Reese's sword to the ground. The jerking movement made the violet eyed man stumble and Atori took that moment to move in with the left sword aimed at the man's throat.

With a grunt of exertion, Reese jumped to the side to dodge the vicious attack and then swung around the rapier to strike Ato. Even though there was ample space between the two, Reese's long sword still managed to slice across Atori's abdomen. The brunette then jumped back as Reese dove in with another spearing strike and then moved way out of the way before touching at the small amount of blood coming from the slash across his stomach. But it wasn't anything that he'd die from so he ignored the gash for the moment and stood proud to stare down Reese.

"Wow! I didn't know Atori could really fight with swords! He's so awesome!" Ralli marveled, his eyes wide with excitement as he watched the fight.

His mind clearing a little, Ches nodded absently to Ralli's words. "It's been a long time since I've seen him use swords, but Ato's every bit a swordsman. I have no idea who he learned from, but he's definitely one of the most skilled sword fighters I've ever seen. He had a personalized set of swords too, though I haven't seen a hint of those since I've reconnected with him."

Ralli yanked his eyes from the ongoing sword fight for just a moment to look at Ches. "Really? What were they like?"

The rainbow thought back, far back to the very first time he'd met Atori, remembering how the brunette had used the weapons that one time to fight in the underground ring. "They were both double edged, about three feet long. One had a silver hilt and the other black, and both had an engraved image of serpents crawling along the blades. Atori called them 'The Sons of Orochi.'"

"Cool!"

Atori released a grunt as Reese charged with two quick stabbing motions before swinging the long blade around to slice. He blocked the strikes as best as he could and then slammed his right sword into the long blade and charged into Reese's zone once more with his left sword ready to strike. But Reese moved in as well, dodging the blade and striking Atori in the stomach with a strong knee strike before shoving the brunette aside and using his disorientation to press through his defense with the long blade. Atori had dropped to the ground to keep from being decapitated and was then pushed back again when Reese brought the sword back around to strike again.

"I'm getting nowhere," he grimaced, taking a moment to catch his breath and analyze the situation. He watched as Reese equipped a devious smirk and aimed the sword at him again. "So far, I've done nothing but fight this guy's sword. It's so long that there's no way to get a damn strike in on him without completely knocking the sword out of his hands. And let's face it, he's too good to let that happen." Atori took firm grips of the weapons in his hands with frustration until a thought dawned on him. "He's got an unconventional weapon, then I should try an unconventional technique."

"You're not contemplating giving up, are you Atori?" Reese suddenly called, his voice laced with a mocking undertone. "It'd be a real shame. I was really starting to enjoy our fight."

"Not on my life, Landser!" he roared before breaking off the ground in a sprint towards the long blade swordsman.

Reese held fast as Atori charged in and then struck out with another stabbing strike. Atori easily sidestepped the lunge and ran right up to Reese with both swords aimed to slice. The violet eyed man narrowly missed the two blades by ducking under them and was quick to swing his blade around for the counterattack. Steel met steel with another clang as the swords collided and instead of trying to back out of Reese's range, Atori instead stepped deeper into it. Reese was so shocked by the shift in Ato's fighting style that he didn't realize the other blade was coming towards him until the last second.

Off of pure instinct, the violet eyed man moved left quick but still was caught in the shoulder when Ato's blade struck. With a hiss of pain, Reese leapt back and the second he touched the ground, he speared the long blade back out to pierce the tall brunette. And yet again, instead of making a move to dodge, Atori just watched the blade fly in with an adventurous smirk. At the last possible second, Ato leaned back to dodge the stabbing strike, his back literally folding in on itself as if he had no spine.

The crowding pirates gasped in shock, Ralli and Ches's eyes threatened to shoot from their skulls, and even Reese was stunned and speechless as he saw Atori practically fold his body in half to dodge the spearing strike.

"Expect the unexpected!" Atori chimed with a menacing laugh before spinning his body around to slap aside Reese's long blade.

The weapon was knocked aside and Reese was still too stunned to even notice it until Atori had straightened back up as if nothing had ever happened. It wasn't until the brunette smiled devilishly that Reese looked down to his hands to see his weapon gone, but by then it was too late. "Venom Rush!" Atori cheered, practically disappearing into thin air as he charged right for Reese, and it wasn't until two long and bloody diagonal gashes sliced across the violet eyed man's chest that he reappeared, standing just behind Reese.

With a hacking cough, the long blade swordsman fell to his knees before completely falling to the ground. He coughed a few more times before looking up to see Atori standing above him. "Guess this is the part where you kill me, huh?" he groaned, though the smirk on his face looked far from saddened. "Oh well, you bested me. It's only right."

"Shut the hell up and give us our money already," Atori crooned, throwing the bloody swords to the ground by Reese's head and folding his arms when the violet eyed man just looked up at him in shock. "The deal was that I beat you, not kill you. And you look pretty beaten to me. So just pay up already."

Reese watched Atori for a moment longer, his eyes trying to find a hint of doubt in Ato's emerald eyes, but when he saw none, he angled his head so that he could see the rest of the Feruk Pirates. "Get them their money, men!" he demanded, his voice sounding a bit strangled from the pain in his chest. When no one immediately budged, Reese found the strength to roar like a lion. "I SAID GET THE MONEY!"

His voice then worked like a whiplash for the stunned pirates and before long, Gooma and Eric had stepped forward with a bag of beli for the victor. The duo held long and oddly, frightened stares with Reese for a while before reluctantly handing it over to Atori. Then, they helped Reese to his feet and the violet eyed man looked between Ato, Ches, and Ralli with analyzing eyes.

He had opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Atori stepped forward with a hand extended toward him. "I don't do this often, so if you refuse me, I just might kick you in your bloody chest," Atori demanded and indicated toward his extended hand. "It's rare that I run across a skilled swordsman and I always like to show my appreciation for a good fight. So, shake it!"

Reese watched him for a second longer before looking around Ato at Ralli and Ches, who were silently smiling at the scene. With a scoffing noise rolling past his lips, he struck out a hand to grasp Atori's in a strong grip. "It was…interesting to say the least," he responded. "If we ever meet again in battle though, just know that no kind of trick will stop me from beating you."

Atori didn't comment, but let his confident smirk speak for himself. He released Reese's hand and cast two quick glares at the anxiety-struck Gooma and Eric before turning on his heel and walking back over to Ralli and Ches.

"Ato! That was so cool!" Ralli exclaimed, practically bursting into streamers as Atori walked up to them. "You just have to show me how you did that thing with your back! It looked so gross, but cool too!"

Atori resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead pulled his tonfa from Ralli's hands and placed them back in their rightful places. "Let's just go," he said with a yawn. "I'm ready to sleep."

"You're always ready to sleep," Ches chuckled as they all made their third attempt for exiting Pirate Alley.

"What is going on here?!" a voice suddenly boomed over the area, the sheer ferocity in the tone making the trio stop once again to see what was happening. They turned back, watching as nearly ever pirate that stood behind them trembled with fear. And the object of the pirates' fear was two men walking up the alley from a supposed different entrance. One man was shorter than the other, he was dressed in what could only be described as rags. His dirty blonde hair was a mess on top of his lazy looking face. The man's expression seemed eternally trapped in a state of drowsiness, yet he walked with alertness. And around his shoulder was a dingy looking sack that carried who-knows-what. To the side of this man was, surprisingly, the Madhouse Brawler from the town square, the man destined to fight the champ tomorrow night.

And just as surprising as it was to find him on Pirate Alley, he was also smiling, but it didn't look like a happy smile. It was a sick smile, an evil smile, the smile of the joker. And when he spoke again, the others could tell right then, that he must have some kind of dominion over the pirates. "I said what's going on?!" he demanded a final time, marching right up to the hoard of trembling pirates, all of them too paralyzed with fear to speak to the smiling man.

"I can explain, sir," Reese suddenly called, drawing the Brawler and other guy's attention. The violet eyed man carefully moved out of Eric and Gooma's stabilizing hands to stand on his own, but even he seemed to flinch back a bit when the Brawler stomped right up to him. "I'm afraid, we lost…we lost some of your money, sir."

The guy at the Brawler's side suddenly looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. Even the drowsiness on his face seemed to run away as he chanced a glance up at the Madhouse Brawler. And as for the Fight Night wrestler, he simply glared down at Reese with unflinching, cold eyes that were a stark contrast to the smile on his face. "You lost money?" the man growled out and when Reese nodded his head in shame, the man suddenly began convulsing with laughter. His whole body racked with the usual joyous call, but in his eyes, he held no joy, no happiness. His mouth declared elation, but his eyes roared scorn.

The second Reese heard the man's laugh, his eyes sprouted with fear and he looked to the Brawler with all of the plea he could manage. "I'm so sorry, sir! I'll never let it – !"

But he stopped mid-plea, his words caught in his throat as the Brawler held a gun up. And the man couldn't even make himself stop laughing for a second before he pulled the trigger.

* * *

_EDIT 9/6/14: So, when I first did this chapter I had my money calculations wrong. I was doing beli in the equivalent of US dollars *Face Palms* Yeah, my bad! But I've fixed it for anyone that may've noticed. If you haven't noticed or this is your first time reading, then please continue on. Thanks!_

**Believe it or not. When I first planned this scene, Atori was just supposed to fight some no-name pirate and kick their ass easily, but I started writing it and then I wanted to give Reese his name and then I wanted to give Reese a special wardrobe and then I wanted to give Reese a special weapon and then...well, you get the idea. Before I knew it, I'd created a fairly relevant character for this arc. Almost like Sonya was for the previous one. And don't I just love torturing the significant-yet minor characters? XD. Anyways, Reese looks like he'd made his final mistake. Wonder how the Battle Bars are going to handle this?**

**Oh! And Battle Bars? If you find it lame, believe me. You weren't the only one. I thought of the name one day and hated it. Thought of it again another day, hated a little less. A week later, I was proudly calling the crew the Battle Bar Pirates! Ralli will get to explain his reasoning for such a title later.**

**See ya!**


	11. Onward to Mira's Cabin!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"An End to an Unruly Night! Onward to Mira's Cabin!"**

The gun shot went off with a spine-tingling pop, the whole area cold with silence as the man pulled the trigger. And half a second later, Reese was on the ground, screaming bloody murder as he clutched desperately at the bloody wound in his leg. But all of that was quickly forgotten when the cackling Brawler stepped above him and aimed the gun at his skull.

"Captain Feruk! Please! I'm sorry, I'll do whatever it takes, sir!" he pleaded, looking like a deer caught in headlights as the maniac captain stood above him.

"What the hell's wrong with that guy?!" Ralli seethed as he watched the display, his fists clenched with desperation as he watched Feruk torment Reese. "Reese just called him his captain, but why would he do that? Why would a captain shoot his own crew like that?!" A growl rolled past Ralli's lips when he saw Feruk begin stomping on Reese's chest, making the swordsman cough and hack from each strike.

And just when Ralli was ready to charge right over and give Feruk a piece of his mind, Atori suddenly yanked him back, putting enough pressure on red eye's arm to bruise. "That has nothing to do with us!" he seethed through clenched teeth and then shook the boy to gain his attention. "How a captain treats his crew is his business! Don't interfere!"

Ralli yanked his arm from Atori in one smooth move and fixated his angry red eyes on the brunette. "It's. Not. RIGHT!" he growled back, but before Ato could reply, they were all drawn back to the scene when another gunshot went off. And their blood went cold when Reese had suddenly stopped moving.

And even then, Atori was hardly able to restrain himself from charging in. "Reese!" he sighed with alarmed eyes and then thankfully released the breath he didn't know he was holding when the violet eyed man suddenly began trembling below Feruk.

The Madhouse captain squatted down over Reese's flinching body until he was sitting right on top of the swordsman's bloody and injured chest. He'd stopped his maniacal laughing, but his smile was still plastered in place as he watched the smoldering bullet hole less than two inches from Reese's skull. "You've proved yourself to be useful in the past, Reese," the man growled out as the violet man could only stared with frightened eyes. "So call this little show a warning if you'd like because if you ever lose my money again, I won't hesitate to break open your skull. I hope I make myself clear." All that Reese could do in that moment was nod his head in compliance, too scared to make even the slightest of noises. And with that, Feruk rose back to his feet, but kept his stony eyes glued to Reese's violet ones. "Now, tell me. Who won out so much of my money?" With a trembling hand, the violet eyed man pointed over in the trio's direction.

Feruk followed the point and with a final, brutal stomp to Reese's chest, walked right over to the crew. And even though Ralli and Atori had fixed him with the most hateful of glares, he seemed completely unfazed. He didn't stop walking until he was directly in front of the trio with Ralli standing right across from him. "So you three are the lucky winners of the night?" he asked, though he really didn't have too. The eerie smile on his face waned until it had reached a thin-lipped expression as he took in Ralli's rage.

When neither Ralli nor Atori found the conviction to do more than glare, Ches spoke up. "We are," he said, trying to sound as regal and unfazed by everything that had happened thus far. "All that we've won, we've won fair and square. So, we sincerely hope that you aren't here to try and take what belongs to us."

When Feruk's dark eyes landed on the rainbow, his emotionless expression turned down into a deep frown even though his eyes seemed to turn up as if he was smiling, making the man's whole face seem at odds with itself. "Under any other circumstances, I'd probably have all of you three below my boot right now."

"Try it!" Ralli growled, taking one step forward to challenge the captain's threat.

Feruk only gave the boy a moment's glance before continuing. "But I have other plans in motion at the moment. That small amount of money you managed to scam off of these mindless fools is incomparable to the cash I'll have my hands on soon enough." His frown deepened while the smile in his eyes seemed to stretch. "So, you three can have a nice night now. Unless, of course, you don't value your lives."

Ralli didn't back down an inch from challenge and even Atori seemed as if he were bracing to grab his tonfa, but it took Ches's clearer head to analyze the situation, to see how Feruk was ready to fire the gun still in his hands, how the drowsy man looked on the verge of attacking, and how the crowd of pirates standing in the background looked ready to walk through fire to prove themselves to their captain. And it's with that thought that he stepped over to pull both Ato and Ralli back.

"And a nice night to you, as well. Good luck in your fight tomorrow!" Ches called as he managed to get a begrudging Ralli and Atori to follow him out of Pirate Alley.

Feruk didn't offer a reply, but only stood still as stone to watch the trio retreat into the alley and disappear with the darkness.

* * *

A garbage can went flying down the alley from Ralli's kick. "Ragh! I should've kicked that guy's ass!" He growled/roared. "Why'd you pull us out of there, Ches? He was asking for it!"

The trio had long since abandoned Pirate Alley, and was now just walking around the town blindly, currently trekking down another alleyway. They were all just trying to wrap their heads around what just happened and Ralli was having the most difficulty.

Ches sighed. "Look, Ralli. I'm not trying to challenge your fighting ability and all – in fact, I'm pretty sure you're a monster considering you took down Madame Kissaru by yourself – but Sonya asked me to keep you from doing stupid stuff and that's what I did. Fighting Feruk right then, with basically his entire crew at his back would've been a mistake."

Ralli opened his mouth to disagree, but Ato stomped on his opportunity. "Ches is right, Ralli. That guy was a freak that definitely would've killed us," he said and then clenched a tight fist as he thought back to what had happened. "If he treats his own crew like that, there's no doubt he would've killed us in the worst possible way."

"That's the point!" Ralli defended, waving around his hands as if to show the big idea. "What kind of captain does that to his own crew?! That, by itself, deserved a punch in the face to that creepy jerk!" He then paused and sighed deeply. "I hope Reese is okay."

Atori threw the boy a questioning glance. "Last I checked, he was an enemy. Why would you hope that he's okay?"

"I don't know. Just because he's on a different crew doesn't mean we can't be friends with him. Besides, I saw how angry you were when he got shot. You liked him, too. He's just…I don't know..._different._" Ralli shrugged away the explanation, unsure of just how he wanted to explain it, but Atori got the point. They say when two people are skilled enough in battle, they can just about read each other's minds during a fight. And if that really is true, Atori could definitely read Reese's. The guy may've been on Feruk's team, but he was far from being anything like the freak of nature captain.

"So, Ches?" he called, looking over at the deep thought on the rainbow's face. "I'm guessing that you know something about that guy, Feruk. And I'm also guessing he's a pretty badass pirate to command such a large crew."

Ches nodded in reply, chewing on his jaw nervously as he tried to recall everything he'd heard about the captain. "Alright, his name is, of course, Feruk. In the world of piracy, he's called 'Madhouse' Feruk and he's got a bounty of 26,000,000 beli." Atori gave a wondrous whistling noise in response, and Ches could tell the brunette was just a little bit impressed. "But there's this whole crazy story about the guy." He stopped walking, halting the others as he explained. "He used to be a Marine, like years and years back. He supposedly entered at around 16 years old and not long after, he'd gotten married to his childhood sweetheart and they'd had a baby. And the guy was good, I mean no prodigy soldier, but he stood out amongst many other soldiers and had actually reached like a Commander position by the age of 21 and was on his way to being awarded a Captain's position soon. But before any of that could happen, a rival pirate crew that he'd been tracking down suddenly kidnapped his wife and child. They held a ransom for Feruk's family with like this huge, absurd amount of money that if he didn't pay, that they'd kill them. Naturally, Feruk didn't have anywhere near the amount, so he turned to his fellow Marines, asked some of the higher ups for the cash to save his family's life, but no one would drop the guy a dime. In the end, his family was killed, their bloody clothing mailed to the guy to rub it in."

"Dirty Marine bastards. Couldn't even help their own kind! Makes me sick," Atori interrupted, practically snarling at the thought.

Ches nodded absently and continued. "Well, after that the guy went crazy. I'm sure you all noticed the creepy way that he smiled and frowned?" Ralli and Ato nodded. "They say Feruk frowns when he's happy, smiles when he's upset, and laughs when he's just fucking livid. And that's where he gets the name 'Madhouse' from. But back when he was a Marine, they called him 'The Brawler' because he fights like a street thug, no kind of grace or beauty, just ground and pound kind of stuff. So, some people take to calling him the 'Madhouse Brawler' and that may be why he has that name in this fighting ring."

"So what happened to the Marines?" Ralli asked.

And Ches perked up at the omitted thought. "After what happened to his family, the guy went nuts and turned on the Marines. Every soldier and officer that had denied him money, he took revenge on by selling them out to pirates and other criminals, taking the highest bid he could get. Thanks to him, around six Marine soldiers were kidnapped or even killed, but he walked away with a pocket overflowing with beli. Some people say that's why he's so obsessed with money, that he thinks that if he earns enough, he'll be able to buy back his wife and child's life." Ches shrugged. "Simply put, Feruk isn't a person that we should mess with if we don't have to. The fact that he just let us leave with 500,000 beli of his money is a miracle really."

Atori just scoffed and started walking again. "To hell with Feruk and his damn sob story. Life's hard sometimes, so what? That doesn't mean you get knocked off your rocker and start beating the crap out of people over money. And I hope we do cross paths with him again. I'd love to knock his brain out of his ears."

Ralli just chuckled and followed after Ato, leaving Ches to sigh and then follow as well. But the trio didn't make it far down the alleyway before their attentions were drawn to sky above, a playful voice calling out to them. Right when Ralli had opened his mouth to ask what the sound was, a woman dressed in a flowing white gown and a beautiful flower sticking over her shoulder suddenly leaped across the buildings surrounding them, her figure practically glowing in the full moonlight above. Her laugh was melodious and she held a twinkle in her eye as she suddenly looked down at the trio. But not missing a beat, she landed atop the next building and pranced on, her voice trailing off as she disappeared into the night.

"Did anyone else just see that or am I still drunk?" Ches asked, rubbing his eyes as if to make sure they weren't fogged up with dreams.

Atori just ran an exasperated hand through his hair and said, "I think it's time for us to sleep."

The next day, the sun shined proudly over the town on Glory Island. Not a cloud was in the sky and the proud citizens were out and about in their daily rituals while the tourists and visitors mulled about in an effort to kill time until the night's event, Fight Night! The trio found themselves amongst the bustling crowds in the middle of lunch hour and the streets were alive with varying aromas that practically begged people to eat.

"It all smells so great!" Ralli chimed, his nose whipping back and forth from restaurant to restaurant as he took all of it in. "How about there – Oooh! Or there! Is that tuna? I love tuna!" He was on the verge of diving into the nearest building and Ato had to clamp a tight grip onto his shoulder to keep him in check.

"I thought you wanted to find that Mira's Cabin place?" he asked and then tugged sharply when Ralli made an effort to walk away.

Ralli stopped his stiffing and turned back with a questioning look. "Oh yeah," he crooned and then put his nose at ease to look around for the restaurant. "I did really want to eat there last night, but I didn't have any money, which is why we have to go there now while we have so much!"

"We must continue in this direction then. The kind lady said it's at the end of the street," Ches said and smiled when Ralli looked like he'd just been asked to circle the world in twenty days.

"I'll try, but it all smells so good!" red eye cheered before his nose went back to sniffing and Ato's job of holding him back grew more tiresome.

The trek through the crowd and bustling street took about ten more minutes, and though Atori had to crack Ralli over the head with a tonfa at one point, they'd eventually found Mira's Cabin. It was a relatively large looking restaurant judging from outward appearances that sat all the way at the end of the street, almost like a dead end really. It's appearance was real rustic and the words 'MIRA'S CABIN' were in big bold letters above the entrance.

The crew didn't waste a second before stepping through the swinging doors into the restaurant and they were greeted with a truly hectic sight. The place was buzzing with customers of all type – from pirates, to families, to old people – and the waiting staff, who were the twin boys from the other night, were practically running back and forth around the restaurant like chickens with their heads cut off. But even with all of the noise and movement, the place seemed far from disorderly, everything was just go, go, go.

"Welcome to Mira's Cabin!" A man with creamy white skin and a long blonde braid flowing down his back stepped over to the crew. His eyes were as blue as the sea and he had a very practiced smile on his face that didn't look at all off putting, but wasn't exactly kind either. "My name's Kyler and if you'd follow me this way, I can lead you three to a seat."

The suggestiveness in his tone worked wonders to get the trio moving without response, but even then, they doubted they could've found anywhere to sit on their own, given the mass amount of people in the restaurant. Kyler led them through a path of customers, not at all deterred by the cluster of them, until he'd found them a proper table. It wasn't the corner sitting that Ato would've preferred, but really there was no room to be picky.

"Is it always so many people here?" Ralli had asked out loud as he looked around. The question was more to himself, but Kyler answered anyway.

"The only down time Mira's Cabin has is about fifteen minutes after we open and fifteen minutes before we close. And we're open from nine in the morning to nine in the evening just about every day." His tone was kept casual, though at this point it was clear he wasn't intent on making any effort to become friends. "I can gather your drinks and then either Yevin or Gevin will be over to take your orders. What will it be, gentleman?" He pulled a pen and a notepad from his back pocket ready to write. Ato decided on water, Ches ordered a fine wine, and Ralli just wanted any kind of juice. Kyler marked their requests and was gone before anyone else could say anything to him.

"Isn't he just a ball of sunshine?" Atori scoffed and leaned back in his chair and then grumbled when his head touched the back of a noisy woman behind him. "And these are crap seats!" he growled when the woman turned to glare at him.

Ches just chuckled. "Ralli did mention that there was quite the line at their stand last night. I'm not too surprised to see the place so packed. It just means we're at the best restaurant."

Ralli had opened his mouth to add to the conversation, but as he did, Kyler was back at their table with a tray of drinks in hand. "Sorry about the wait. I had to attend to another customer real fast," he commented dryly, moving their drinks in place.

"_Wait?_ You were gone like two minutes!" Ralli exclaimed and sat up his chair to take his drink. "You actually could've taken your time."

"Speed is what we do best here at Mira's Cabin," he replied instantly, his planted smile beginning to wan. "Could I get you guys anything else?"

"We don't need anything, but could I ask you a question?" Ches piped up just as Kyler seemed ready to spin on his heel. Kyler raised a blonde eyebrow in a bit of surprise but nodded his head anyway. "Do you know anything about a woman dressed in white that jumps around on buildings at night?" he asked, and that brought back the discussion they'd had earlier that morning, concerned about if they'd actually dreamed the last part of their crazy night or not.

The question made Kyler burst with laughter, showing the first genuine sign of emotion thus far. "Oh man! Don't tell me you idiots believe in that spirit crap!" he barked with another chorus of deep laughter before he suddenly stopped and looked back at them with wide eyes. His expression immediately jumped back to the strained smile and said, "My apologies for the outburst, but –,"

"You don't have to be so stiff with us, ya know," Atori chimed in, interrupting the guy's thought as he lazily sipped on his water. "We're not food critics or anything." He had his own nightmares about how he had to placate the customers back in his old restaurant days with Dallis, and since he wasn't always so kind, he'd often been placed on dish duty.

Kyler took a brief moment to look them over before sighing and allowing a bit of a scowl to settle on his face, but it wasn't a mean scowl. It seemed to fit him perfectly. "Thank god!" he exclaimed before shifting his weight to one leg and standing as if he belonged on someone's pirate ship. "I get so tired of trying to walk around all happy and smily and nice all day. It gets annoying, ya know. Anyway, about your question," he pointed out Ches. "A bunch of people around here call that 'The Spirit of the Trees.' They started seeing her up in the forests, ya know. Supposedly, she'd be running around with the wildlife and when anyone tried to chase her, she'd just disappear in the trees. And every night of the full moon, she prances through the town like a little fairy and sprinkles her pixy dust on the world." The last bit was obviously his own little addition, but still he made his point. "If ya ask me, anyone who sees 'the spirit' is either extremely exhausted or indulging in too many brain-altering substances, if you know what I mean." Kyler looked like he wanted to say more, but just then, one of the twins – this one with a green bandana around his head – appeared with a bright smile that made the blonde sigh deeply. "Great, now I've got to go back to being nice. Need to know anything else, don't hesitate to ask." With a wave, he stomped off with that firm smile back on his face.

"I hope he didn't bother you guys," the twin said with a slightly nervous look on his face. "My brother doesn't mean half the things he says."

"It's okay. We asked him to loosen up; he's actually kind of nice," Ralli chimed, making the twin sigh in relief.

"Oh, that's good…I think? The last time Kyler 'loosened' up, he knocked out three customers and broke the noses of two more." He laughed a bit as he scratched at the back of his head. "Dad nearly punched him through a wall for that, but ever since, he has to try really hard to be nice."

"Sounds like a guy I could get along with," Atori piped.

The twin laughed again. "Well, enough of that. We gotta be speedy around here! So, my name's Gevin and please don't get me confused with my twin brother, Yevin. He wears a yellow bandana and he's over there," he pointed over in Yevin's direction as the other twin zipped through the restaurant with a tray of plates. "Now, then! What could I get you guys to –,"

Gevin was cut off mid-sentence as a door suddenly slammed open. The place was far too loud with all of the customers' talking for anyone else to notice, but the waiter definitely did and he – alongside the trio – quickly whipped their heads over in the direction of the noise. Judging from where it was placed, the door led to the kitchen area and coming through the entryway was a young woman with a plate of half eaten barbecue in her hands and the picture of rage on her face.

"Oh crap, Taya!" Gevin hissed and began moving towards the girl, though his movements now were far less quick than earlier.

Taya paid no one else any mind as she began walking through the restaurant, her ocean blue eyes focused in on only one target. She had a beautiful figure with a slim waist and a sizeable bust beneath her plain white t shirt and stained cook's apron covering her entire front. She had blonde hair just like Kyler's though not as long that was pulled back into a ponytail with a bang on the right side of her face. When she finally stopped her walking, she stood before a group of pirates, members of the Feruk pirates judging by the emblems on their shirts. In fact, the one pirate she seemed to be the most focused in on turned out to be Gooma from last night with Eric sitting in another chair.

Ralli peaked his animalistic hearing to pick out the words across the room, hearing Taya call, "You!" before none too subtly kicking Gooma's chair to get the pirate's attention. "Every day for three whole weeks, you come into this restaurant during our lunch rush and order the exact same plate of barbecued ribs. And every day for three weeks, you pick over your plate and send this mass of perfectly good food back to the kitchen for us to throw away! Let me tell you something, buddy!" She slammed a hand into the table to emphasize her anger. "This particular dish is one that I – and I alone – create. And when I cook, I pour my heart and soul into every plate of food I design. The absolute worst thing you can do to a cook with pride is send back their dish half eaten! If you don't plan on eating, then don't order the FOOD!" Her voice boomed over the restaurant like a loud speaker then, acting to silence every other customer in the cabin. Gevin was still trying to cross the mass expanse of people to get to the girl and only just then did Kyler and Yevin seem to notice that something was amiss.

Meanwhile, Gooma sized Taya up in one fell swoop before offering her a grizzly smirk. "Well, sweetheart, I wouldn't have to send the food back every time, if it didn't taste like crap!" he growled in return, and it seemed nearly the whole restaurant's customers cringed when he insulted the girl, as if they knew what would be happening next.

Taya's left eyebrow twitched with anger before she calmed with an unsettling smirk. "At this point, I don't give a damn if you don't like my food," she said calmly.

"Taya, don't do anything stupid!" Kyler exclaimed as he and Yevin rushed over, and Gevin had just about reached her.

The girl reached down and yanked Gooma up by the collar of his shirt and lifted the plate of food in preparation. "Because I'm going to force feed every scrap of this food down your damn throat!" she exclaimed before slamming the plate of food right into Gooma's face.

* * *

**Poor Reese! But at least he didn't die. Feruk, you creepy bastard. You'll get yours one of these days!**

**but POW! A blue-eyed, blonde-headed cook with a temper when it comes to wasting food? Gee, doesn't that sound familiar? Hee-Haw! Well, I can promise you that the lovely Taya is no carbon copy of Sanji. When it came to characterizations, I just couldn't picture her with any other distinguishable features. Oh Well! She just attacked a member of the Feruk Pirates, so we all know that this won't be ending well, right? Maybe? Hmm...guess you'll just have to check back next time to find out!**

**Peace!**


	12. The Feisty Cook with a Fiery Attitude!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Heated Brawl in Mira's Cabin! Taya, the Feisty Cook with a Fiery Attitude!"**

Gooma went flying out his seat when Taya smashed the plate of food right into his face, the force behind the push enough to throw even his large frame to the floor. Eric and the other two pirates were quick to their feet, their panicked eyes watching as Gooma cough and gagged on some of the leftovers that had obviously gone into his throat.

"Big mistake, you stupid girl!" Eric roared, yanking the cutlass from his side and slicing up to strike Taya's face.

She dodged the attack with ease and had already positioned herself to crack a fist across Eric's jaw, when suddenly Gevin shoved her aside and slammed a fist right into Eric's face. The pirate stumbled from the hit and then two more quick jabs before being knocked aside.

Taya grunted as Gevin moved in on her target, but then turned to the other two pirates that looked ready to attack, one of them holding a dagger in his hand as he leered. With a smile, Taya waved them on and they both moved in for the attack. She dodged the first one's lunge and easily sidestepped the dagger that the other pirate swung for her stomach. Not missing a beat, she squared her feet to the floor and was ready to send them both packing with an attack, but yet again, she was interrupted.

Kyler came flying in out of nowhere with a punch to the dagger-wielding pirate's throat and then struck the man with three rapid body blows before sending him flying with an uppercut. The poor pirate flew through the air and eventually slammed through their former eating table. Meanwhile, Yevin was hammering the final pirate with strong punches to the jaw before hitting him square in the stomach with a punch and then ending it with a body-rocking jab across his face.

"A fighting family?" Ches crooned with a smirk as he watched the display. "That's not something you see every day."

Atori chuckled a bit. "I knew there was a reason why I wanted to come here!"

Ralli just watched with wide eyes, his smile growing with each punch the family threw out.

Taya growled in anger and glared down her three brothers with stormy blue eyes. "Why did you idiots get in my way?" she demanded. "I had it under control!"

"You're the idiot!" Kyler fired back, his own blue eyes matching hers with anger. "You didn't have anything under control! You could've been killed!"

Taya was ready to scream her head off in response, but didn't get the catch before a gun shot went off. The whole cabin seemed to freeze from the explosion of gunpowder and it wasn't until Taya caught the glimmer of a bullet headed her way that her body suddenly ran cold. Her instincts roaring to life, she angled her body to dodge the bullet and had already locked eyes with the assailant to beat the living crap out of him. But the bullet never got a chance to soar on past her before a massive frame suddenly moved in its way. The bullet struck with a bloody crash in the shoulder of a huge, built man that looked more like a human refrigerator. He looked like a much older and stronger version of the twins and was dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers with a cook's apron over the front of his body.

"D-dad!" Taya hissed with fear in her eyes.

And down on the ground, Gooma growled like a rabid dog as he still held the smoldering gun out for another shot. "You damn cooks can die!" he roared and started to pull the trigger, but didn't get the chance to fire because Kyler swooped in like a blur of gold and kicked his gun away at the last second.

"Not again, you piece of shit!" the blonde man roared with as much deadliness as an enraged lion. He struck down and took a firm hold of Gooma's shirt, ready to pummel the man into oblivion, but was halted as his father spoke.

"No," the man called, his voice a deep and rocky baritone, The big man obviously showed no concern for the bullet wound in his shoulder and instead stomped right over to Gooma, who looked beyond frightened under the man's sight. Despite his size, he swooped down to grab a firm hold of the pirate's shirt and lift him up into the air, holding them there like he was a feather. "How dare you shoot at my little girl, you waste of a man?" he growled like an angry grizzly bear. He pulled back one massive fist and allowed his steel eyes to cut Gooma apart. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you and won't think twice about it!"

Gooma seemed like he wanted to say something, possibly plead for forgiveness, but didn't the chance before the man's large fist crashed into his skull. The punch sounded more like a gunshot and the force behind it was enough to send the fat pirate soaring across the restaurant and crashing out of the double doors. And hardly five seconds after Gooma had been sent flying, Kyler, Yevin and Gevin tossed out the rest of the pirates.

The large man turned away from the human trash that had been taken out and locked eyes with his daughter, who'd gained tears in her eyes from watching her father get shot. The man shushed and cooed to calm her and moved in for a hug, but was dismissed as Taya took an enraged step away from him.

"Why'd you do that!" she cried. "I could've dodged the bullet, Dad! You didn't have to save me! None of you did, dammit!" She stomped her foot with anger as she glared down all of her brothers and father. "How many times do I have to tell you that I can take care of myself?!"

The man looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "Taya, you're my little girl. You can't take care of yourself, yet!"

That just poured gasoline on top of the fire. The girl growled with anger and shoved her dad aside before rushing through her brothers and sprinting out of the door. Gevin looked like he was ready to run off in pursuit, but Kyler pulled him back. "Just let her go," the blonde demanded with a sigh. "You know how she gets when she's angry. She'll come back after a little while."

Begrudgingly, the bandana'd twin agreed and moved to help Yevin pick some of the mess off of the floor. Their father looked over the scene with a scowl and then muttered something to Kyler before walking back into the kitchen. From that point, the rest of the restaurant seemed to fall back into order, surprisingly enough. Most of the customers went back to eating as if nothing had happened while others seemed to be rejoicing in the fact that they'd gotten a show.

"Deepest of apologies all around!" Kyler called with his patented fake smile on display. "For the next twenty minutes, we will not be taking any orders! And anyone dissatisfied with the service is welcomed to a refund!" The blonde went on, trying to smooth things out for the customers.

Meanwhile, Ralli got out of his seat, his eyes trained on the door where Taya had just run out of. Atori watched him for a long moment, but the brunette could practically read red eye's mind and didn't bother asking where he was going. He only announced that he'd be back soon and walked out of the restaurant in pursuit of the feisty cook.

The search for Taya took less than five minutes thanks to Ralli's sense of smell. She was standing in an alleyway, back against the wall and head drooped, though if it was from crying or just thinking, Ralli couldn't tell.

He took a step towards the girl and before he knew it, her neck snapped around to glare at him, her eyes making him take a cautious step back as she leered. Red eye quickly brought up both hands in a sign of harmlessness and said, "H-hey! I didn't mean to surprise you or anything. I'm not going to hurt you!"

She watched him for a long moment before scoffing. "Just because I'm a girl, I'm supposed to think that you can hurt me?" she hissed with a cold tone. "I'd like to see you try!" Ralli just swallowed dryly and held her gaze as she watched him and when he made no move at all to attack, she scoffed again. "Either tell me what you want or get lost." She leaned back up against the wall, looking away from Ralli as if he weren't there.

Ralli chuckled at that and moved closer to the girl, leaning up against the opposite wall with a smile on his face. "That sounds like something Ato would say," he muttered to himself and then shook his head when Taya looked at him as if he were crazy. There was a long awkward pause as she just looked at Ralli and Ralli tried to remember why he'd come in search of her. "Does that happen a lot?" he asked lamely after not being able to think of anything else to say.

Taya just watched him with disinterest. "If you mean fights in the restaurant, I'd say at least one a week. Either it's me or Kyler. Though, the twins did take down a set of rowdy pirates once. Is that all?" She looked about ready to walk away and Ralli blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

"It wasn't your fault!" he exclaimed, shocking the both of them with his own words. She watched him skeptically, but a bit more interested so he continued. "It, uh, wasn't your fault what happened to your dad. He just didn't read the situation well, I guess. I, uh, think you could've beaten those pirates on your own, too, by the way. I was watching and every time one of them came at you, you seemed perfectly positioned to dodge or even counter them. Even with that bullet, you looked ready to dodge it and attack, but your dad got in the way. And I'm sorry he had to get hurt." He chanced a glance up at Taya and was relieved to see that some of the storminess in her eyes had evaporated.

She smiled a tad bit at Ralli and said, "Thanks, for thinking I could do it." And on a second thought, she added, "And don't be concerned about my dad. I'm pretty sure a train could run him over and he'd be feeling fine the next day." She laughed at her own metaphor and then watched Ralli for a long hard moment. "What's your name?" she finally asked.

Ralli offered his own wide smile and stuck out a hand. "Teko C. Ralli, next King of the Pirates!" he proclaimed.

If Taya was shocked that he was a pirate, she didn't show it. She stuck out her hand to grab his and said, "Call me Taya and I guess I'm the Princess of Mira's Cabin!" Another moment of silence fell between the two before she asked, "Why'd you come out here to tell me that?"

Ralli just shrugged. "Felt like the right thing to do, I guess. I could tell that you were sad because of what had happened to your dad and I know how that feels – to watch someone get hurt for something that you started." He shrugged again, not really knowing what to say.

Taya sighed deeply. "I hate that my dad had to get hurt because of a fight I started, but it's just…I just can't stand it! I hate it, Ralli! People like that pirate are the worst kind! They don't respect anything, they don't care about anything, they think that they can just do anything and it not matter. They don't take the time to think about things to understand how much love, or time, or care someone puts into their creations. They just stomp all over it as if it's nothing. Well, not on my watch, dammit!" she declared her fists clenching at her sides.

"Every supply is necessary, every item is crucial! Nothing should ever just go to waste in the kitchen! It goes deeper than just time and preparation, it's that extra special bit of love you put into every meal that counts. And when people like him stomp over that, all of that time just goes down the drain. I'm a cook! I love cooking and would do it all day every day if I had to! I put everything I have into every meal I create, a special amount of love and attention for every single item! So when I cook something, it had better be eaten!" Her fist slammed into the wall behind her, and Ralli was shocked to see the spider webbing of cracks from the impact. "I don't pour my heart and soul into a dish for it to just be sent to the trash because of preference. You'd better have a damn good reason for not eating my food unless you want to taste my fist instead. Those bastards, they just…they just…!"

Taya threw her head back in anger and just screamed to the top of her lungs in frustration. Her voice boomed through the alleyway like thunder and Ralli cringed in pain as Taya's shriek nearly turned his brain to mush. It wasn't normal at all. It was like the banshee's call before someone died; it just struck without warning and wreaked havoc on anything that dared to hear it. But after nearly ten seconds of the terrible shriek, Taya stopped, breathing heavily to recover from the scream.

Ralli pulled himself from the ground, not even realizing that Taya's scream had made him retract so much, and just looked at her with wide eyes.

"That. Was. Awesome!" he finally said, hardly able to hear his own words thanks to the ringing in his ears.

Taya just smiled and laughed nervously with embarrassment. "Sorry," she said. "Sometimes I do that just to clear my mind. It works wonders most of the time."

"I'm pretty sure you can clear everybody's minds with a scream like that!" Ralli cheered, rubbing at his ears absently. "How can you do that? It was so loud!"

Taya's nervous laugh persisted and she even blushed and replied, "I-it comes from my mom's side of the family. All of my brothers can talk and yell really loud too, but I think I'm the only that uses a scream like that one. Sorry again, by the way."

Ralli just laughed at her embarrassment. "No problem!" he cheered. "So, feeling any better?"

Taya stopped blushing and laughing long enough to think over the question and she smiled wide when she realized that she actually did. "Yeah, lots better actually. Thanks, Ralli."

"Anytime!"

The rest of the day went swimmingly for the crew. Ralli returned to Mira's Cabin with Taya and joined his friends back in their seats. Soon enough, the cooks began cooking once more and the brothers were back out on the floor serving up customers like there was no tomorrow. The crew got to experience Mira Cabin's food firsthand and was overly happy about the taste, especially when they'd learned Taya personally prepared just about all of it. The girl had only been able to take a few minutes away from the kitchen to accept their praise for the food, in which she'd met Ches and Atori, before running on back to continue for the day.

Ralli had completely forgotten to ask if she'd be coming to tonight's Fight Night event, but just shrugged the thought away as the trio left Mira's Cabin.

_I'm sure I'll see her around, and maybe –just maybe – she'll want to join our crew_, he thought.

* * *

"I don't think this is a good idea, Ralli?" Ches commented, walking closely to Atori as red eye led them through a thick forest of trees. Though it was still day, the trees cast a darkness over the area that was giving the navigator the creeps. "I know you want to see this spirt, Ralli, but how are we supposed to know if she's hostile or not? We are walking right on her territory," he reasoned and then nearly jumped out of his skin when a bird suddenly rushed through the trees.

Atori just rolled his eyes at Ches's behavior. "You were the one that asked Kyler about the spirit. You should've known that Ralli would get all worked up over it later," the brunette said and nearly tripped when Ches latched onto him when a rustling came from the bushes. "What's your problem? Are you scared of forests or something?!"

Ches was shoved aside by Ato, but kept his eyes trained on the environment around him as he walked, hands in his pockets as if he was ready to pull a knife at any moment. It had been a while since leaving Mira's Cabin and it would be another few hours until the start of Fight Night. So, with nothing else to do, Ralli demanded that they go out into the woods to search for the Spirit of the Trees. At first, Ches had been willing, but upon seeing how dark the thick forests were, he was quite reluctant.

"It's not that I'm scared of forests!" he demanded in response in an effort to save his shame. "It's just…I don't like being in dark forests. I guess you could say, I'm not a fan of the unknown and this forest is teaming with the unknown."

Atori opened his mouth to speak, but closed it a few times, completely at a loss of words for a response. After a while, he just shrugged and continued going. Another couple minutes passed before he opened his mouth to speak again. "Ralli, where are you taking us?" he proclaimed, but was silenced as Ralli shushed him.

The red eye suddenly stopped and held out a shushing finger to his friends as he looked around the darkness of the trees, his ears twitching as he tried to catch a hint of something. He was even sniffing wildly, obviously taking advantage of his Devil Fruit power to try and detect anything. After nearly a minute of standing there, Ralli nodded his head over to the left and waved them on.

"Do you think he really knows where he's going?" Ches eventually asked, seeming to have calmed from the nervousness of being in a dark forest.

Atori just shrugged. "This is Ralli we're talking about. I honestly wouldn't trust him to lead us across a bridge, but seeing as our navigator has a case of the frights, someone has to do it."

Ches scowled for the first time at Atori, though it faded the second Ato looked his way. "I don't have the frights," he demanded and then grunted when Atori just smiled wickedly at him. "And what about you? Why couldn't you take the lead?"

"Don't feel like it," was his instant response.

"Do you ever feel like doing anything?" Ches asked with a layer of sarcasm in his tone that he suddenly wished he hadn't used.

Atori looked over at Ches for a long moment, not necessarily glaring like usual, but he didn't look all too happy either, which was obviously making the knife thrower nervous. Finally though, he said, "I do things when I feel I have to. Less chance of messing stuff up."

Before Ches could even form a response to that, Ralli shushed them again. When the duo looked over at the boy, he was crouched down in front of a bush. He waved them down to his side and once they took position, he pointed into the bush, indicating for them to go through. Truth be told, Atori was surprised Ralli could hold this amount of concentration on something that didn't involve fighting.

The trio moved on through the bush, moving as carefully as possible so as not to alert anyone. After a moment of crawling, their heads finally popped out of the other side and Ralli was grinning like an idiot when he looked into a nearby tree. Ches and Atori followed his gaze and were shocked to their souls to see a woman clad in a white, long-sleeved gown with bare feet. Her hair was a flowing, brilliant brassy color and a small flower peeked out of the gown upon her shoulder as she sat up in a tree.

She was lazily humming some kind of tune as she looked into a flower in her hands, but then her eyes cut down to the trio's heads sticking out of the bushes and even Ralli was shocked that she'd seen them. Unlike the stories had explained, the girl made no move to run though. She just watched them for a long moment before smiling politely. "You've finally made it!" she chirped.

* * *

**Ooooh! Some spirit of the trees action now! And how about the feisty blonde, huh? Too bad her family kept getting in the way. I was hoping to see what Taya could do. XD As if I don't already know! The story probably seems all over the place right now, but the next chapter is going to tie everything together for this arc. Believe me.**

**See ya next time!**


	13. Meet with the Spirit of the Trees!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Meet with the Spirt of the Trees! An Unyielding Passion!"**

"You've finally made it!" the woman chirped, smiling politely down to the trio and leaving them speechless. Not only had she seen them, but apparently she'd known they were there long before they knew where she was. Her kind smile never leaving, she pushed herself from the tree and landed onto the grass with grace. "I noticed that you're a cat man and figured I'd test your sense of animalistic direction," she said, looking right at Ralli.

If they were shocked before, they certainly were now. "Um, I, uh…" was the most intelligent thing that come out of Ralli's mouth as he and the others pulled themselves from the bushes. The woman never made a move or sound as she watched them expectantly, so Ralli found his voice. "You know that I've got a Devil's Fruit power?" he finally asked.

The woman studied him like he was the most interesting thing for miles. "Was it supposed to be a secret?" she asked, and then looked over in Atori's direction for a long moment before glancing back at Ralli. "My apologies," she said.

Ralli was still a bit too shocked in the strange woman to find anything else to say, so Ches spoke up. "How?" he asked of her.

"Because I listen to the environment, of course," she said and the crew was yet again thrown for a loop. "The trees, the grass, the flowers, the animals!" She spun around in a circle, smiling like there was no tomorrow. "They all speak to me. They all tell me things. And in return, they listen to me as well. I communicate with nature! I am a nature woman."

Now, both Ralli and Ches were too stunned to speak. Atori just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Either you have a Devil's Fruit power or you're crazy!" he groaned.

The woman simply smiled away. "I may be both, heikin-san!" And when they only continued to stare at her, she turned away from them and pranced over to her tree. "I ate the Shizen-Shizen no Mi and now I am a nature woman. I can communicate with all forms of nature as well as interact with it on a biological level." She ran around the tree and then peaked out the other side, extending her right hand for an observation. "Watch," she called and they indeed watched as thorny vines suddenly began growing out from under her loose sleeves, growing down her hand until sprouting out over each finger and elongating about five inches from her hand like small vine whips.

"WOW!" Ralli exclaimed, finally finding his tongue and running right over to see the show with Ches on his heel. "Your Devil Fruit lets you do that?!" he called in shock as she retracted the vines.

"The fruit gives me the capability, but it is her that provides me with the tools." The woman pointed to the flower over her left shoulder – a rose upon closer examination. "Elie shares with me her strength, not only allowing me to use her vines, but helping me in my communication with nature itself. She is my dearest friend, second only to my beloved twin sister." She then looked back to the others until seeing Atori standing to the side. Paying Ralli and Ches no mind, she walked past them and right up to the brunette. "Why do you stand to yourself, heikin-san?" she asked.

Atori just glared at her, trying to get her to back down, but she only tilted her head in confusion when he said nothing. "Why do you keep calling me that? My name's Atori," he finally demanded when she made no move to flinch away from his cold eyes.

She just smiled happily at that. "Because you are mean, heikin-san! But I enjoy that about you. You are a nice kind of mean!" she chirped

Atori could only watch her with a mixed expression of shock and confusion. To save him from his now stupefied state, Ches walked over with a humming chuckle. "You are quite the interesting, lady," he said. "I am Ches, navigator for the Battle Bar Pirates." He extended a polite hand to the woman and after looking it over for a second, she shook.

Ralli ran up next with a wide smile. "And I'm Ralli! I'm the captain and soon, I'll be King of the Pirates!" He then pointed up to a still silent Atori. "You already met him. He's our swordsman and my first mate."

She smiled kindly to them. "I had hoped to meet you all again after I'd seen you last night," she chirped happily. "Something about you three just made me happy to see you. I had only gotten that kind of feeling from one other person and that was my twin sister when I'd first met her."

Ches quirked an eyebrow in question. "Um, I don't mean to pry, but you make it sound as if you met her later in your life. Shouldn't you have known your twin sister since birth?"

"No," she answered as if it was a very logical answer that didn't need a second of explanation.

"O-okay?" Ches stumbled before realizing they hadn't gotten the girl's name. "Could we get your name, miss?"

"MARY!" a voice suddenly called out, stopping everyone as they looked over in the direction. "WHAT'S GOING ON? YOU'RE MAKING A LOT OF NOISE TO…day." The voice tapered off as its speaker walked around the tree, her blonde hair matted to her skull from sweat and her breathing a bit ragged. She was dressed in ragged clothing and everything from the neck down was mummified in bandages.

"Taya? What are you doing here?" Ralli finally asked as the blonde just stared at them like a deer caught in headlights.

The naturist instead, pranced over to the feisty cook with a happy smile. "Twin sister! Have you finished your workout yet!" she called like a fluttering butterfly, while everyone else's jaws nearly hit the ground with shock once again.

"TWIN SISTER?!"

* * *

"Is all well with gaido-san?" Mary asked, her legs swinging daintily as she and Atori sat on a branch of the tree that she'd been in earlier. Back on the ground, Ches was standing at the brink of the forest, his gaze frozen as it just watched the darkness of the trees. "He has been standing there for quite some time, heikin-san. Should we check on him?" She turned to look over at Atori, and wasn't at all surprised to see the brunette's attention was elsewhere.

Atori was turned away from the scene of Ches and was looking in the direction of trees that Ralli and Taya had disappeared into a few moments earlier, the girl only wishing to speak to Ralli at that particular moment. He then startled a bit when he felt a small tap on his shoulder and turned back to Mary, who was just watching him curiously. "W-what did you say?" he asked when she only looked at him.

The naturist's smile didn't recede a bit, but she nodded her head in Ches's direction. "I was wondering was all well with sir navigator. He hasn't budged for quite some time," she said. Atori looked down in Ches's direction and just rolled his eyes when he'd recalled what the rainbow had mentioned in the forest, but before he could speak, Mary continued. "All is well with twin sister and sencho-san. You should not feel concerned. They merely wish to speak is all."

Atori scoffed. "And what makes you think I care about them or whatever they might have to say?" he responded with a cold leer at Mary.

The woman just hummed a tune casually as her legs moved playfully below. "You are a protector at heart, heikin-san, no matter how cruel or mean you act to cover it up. Your concern is as palpable to me as Elie on my shoulder." She turned a happy smile over to Atori again. "It is an honorable trait befitting a soul such as yours."

Atori could've sworn Mary had grown a second head and began breathing fire as she spoke. "What are you?" he finally asked after a long moment of scrutinizing the naturist.

Mary laughed with the tone of an angel as she took in Atori's question. "A friend, heikin-san," she answered soon enough.

Ato couldn't have expected Mary to get any weirder or confusing, but before she could get the chance, Ches called up to them. "Having fun up there you guys?" he said, drawing the attentions of the couple as they looked down to see the rainbow casually propped up against the tree and looking right back up at them. He laughed a bit at their expressions. "You two almost look like love birds!" he crooned and doubled over in a fit of laughter when Atori just glared daggers down to him.

With a fluid motion, Atori was out of the tree and smacked Ches across the head with a quick kick. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, Mr. I'm-scared-of-dark-and-scary-forests!" The rainbow kneeled over in pain, but still managed to scowl a bit at the deliberate strike. "Serves you right," the brunette quirked before turning to see Mary gracefully land on the grass. Now past the weirdness of her words in the tree, he asked, "So what's up with the whole twin sister thing, Mary? My eyesight might not be the best, but I know that you and Taya look nothing alike."

"Being sisters is a matter of the heart," she said with the tone of a goddess as she casually stepped past the duo and stooped down to a patch of flowers to the side. "And the umbrella of twin-dom doesn't end with just those of the same womb, but ensnares those of the very same day as well, heikin-san. Thus, Taya and I are twin sisters because of our love for one another and our shared dates of life."

Atori just scratched his head like a Neanderthal that had just been asked to perform basic algebra. "They are twin sisters because they care about one another and they were born on the same day," Ches simplified for the brunette. "Correct, Mary?"

When the naturist nodded her head in affirmation, Atori just sighed and rubbed an exhausted hand through his hair. "Why the hell didn't you just say that, instead of taking me around the world with your answer?" he demanded.

Mary just laughed melodiously again and rose back to her feet with a hand full of flowers. "Life is full of complexities, heikin-san. We can only endure," she said as she turned to them with a kind smile. "Care for embellishment, gentlemen?"

* * *

"So, um, is there anything you want to talk about?" Ralli finally asked after he and Taya had been walking for nearly three minutes of dead silence. But Taya made no move to speak, her blue eyes focused ahead as she walked as if she were headed to her execution. Ralli looked for her again and then took a deep breath before stopping. Taya took a few more steps before finally stopping and turned to look at the determined expression on his face.

"Taya, what's going on? Why are you acting so weird? Why are you dressed like that? How do you know Mary and why was she calling you her twin sister? I-I, I just don't understand any of this!" he demanded with frantic eyes as he searched her expression for an answer. "Ar-Are you the champ?"

Taya's eyes narrowed in on him with the deadliness of a blade. "Tell me why the hell I owe you any answers? Do you think just because we had a brief little conversation earlier today that you get the right to just demand me to tell you my life's story?" She stomped right up to Ralli, their equal heights landing their eyes perfectly as she glared into the boy's ruby irises. "Well, I don't owe you a damn thing!" she barked like a rabid dog and then turned away to stomp off.

This time, it was Ralli's turn to snarl. "You're the one that told me to walk with you, Taya! Why would you lead me in here if you didn't plan on saying anything! What's your problem all of a sudden!"

"You!" the feisty girl roared, her loud voice rushing over the area like a clap of thunder. She spun on her heel, practically leaping right at Ralli with a punch. But Ralli didn't even flinch from the attack and caught the fist effortlessly in his hand, although the sheer power behind it was enough to push his body back a few inches. "Who are you!" she yelled right into his face. "Why do I just want to bare my soul to you, tell you every last deep dark secret I have dammit! I've never seen you a day in my life, but one conversation and you're all that I can think about! And even when I try to come out here and train you out of my mind, here you come again! WHO ARE YOU!"

Ralli met the girl's blind rage head on, not backing an inch from her fierce eyes as she practically looked right into his soul. "I'm your friend, Taya," he finally said, his whole expression as serious as a heart attack's as he returned Taya's soul searching look.

Those words were enough to yank back Taya's rage. Her eyes widened with shock, shock in the words and utter devotion conveyed behind the message. With a frustrated sigh, she moved out of Ralli's face, yanking her fist back as she did so, and took a few steps away from red eye until she'd stood right in front of a tree, her face turned away from the boy as she looked at the ground. "I'm sorry," she said after a long moment. "I – you didn't deserve to see me like that, Ralli. So, I'm sorry."

Ralli's seriousness evaporated as quickly as it had come and he smiled. "No problem! Ato gets mad at me all of the time," he cheered pleasantly and took a step forward, but stopped when Taya turned back to him with a sad expression. "T-Taya?" he called cautiously. "What is it?"

"Do you think I'm weak?" she asked instantly. Her arms were crossed and her eyes looked watery with constrained tears, but her guard was up as if she was trying to protect herself from Ralli's answer. She worried her lip for a moment as Ralli just looked at her before she yelled, "DO YOU THINK I'M WEAK, RALLI!"

"No, Taya! I don't think you're weak! Why would you ask me something like that?" Ralli responded, his own concern growing for every second that they continued this odd conversation.

Her sadness lasted for all of two more seconds before it ran in place of a scowl. "Even if I told you that I'm the champ and that I'd be fighting 'Madhouse' Feruk tonight? The pirate with a 26,000,000 beli bounty on his head! What would you say to that? Still think that I'm strong!" she demanded. "You're a pirate! Still think the little blonde beauty can take down big, bad Feruk? You don't have to lie to spare my feelings, you know." She practically spat the words, anger lacing her voice.

Ralli just looked at Taya then, looking her from head to toe, watching how her body conveyed anger and strength but her face looked distraught with concern. "Fighting Feruk doesn't make you any less strong, Taya. But if you're willing to fight a guy like that just to prove your strength, it does question your senses. I've seen that jerk in action. He's dangerous and won't hesitate to kill you."

"What's life without a few risks?" she quirked, her sadness and rage leaving suddenly. She started walking back down the trail then and Ralli followed as she continued speaking. "I've spent too much of my life sheltered. They treat me as if I'm so weak, but I'm not!"

"Are you talking about your family?" Ralli asked.

"Yes!" she answered matter of factly. "And I know they mean well, I don't need you or anyone else to tell me that," she quickly added when Ralli looked about ready to speak.

A brief moment passed before she spoke up again. "It wasn't always like that, though," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper. "It didn't start until after Mom had died. I was only nine at the time and it was right around the time when the West Blue Fight Club had really begun being popular. The event would bring in all kinds of traffic to the island and that was great for the shops and restaurants around because of all the customers, but it also had its negative side too."

She paused just long enough to scowl again. "Thanks to all of the different people coming to Glory Island, our restaurant would get all kinds of requests for food. We had to really branch out with our culinary skills to appease everyone and stay at the top as best restaurant on the island. But even we weren't able to please everyone. A lot of dishes were sent back, many of them hardly eaten because the customers just didn't appreciate the taste. A lot of the food was thrown out, a lot of ingredients wasted that could've been salvaged if those damned customers weren't so picky. The food was perfectly fine, created with only the kind of care that Mom could give it, but still the customers didn't want it and it just ended up thrown away. We wasted a lot of food and ingredients that way, and Mom had begun making quick late night trips to a few of the stores that stayed open late for the Fight Night crowd. Dad begged her not to because of the influx of pirates we'd been getting lately, but my Mom was a stubborn lady."

A smile pulled at her lips when a thought suddenly struck. She'd even giggled just a bit. "Dad says I act just like her sometimes." Taya turned to Ralli with a joyful smile at the memory, but that lasted only for a second or two before it wanned into another sad frown. "Well, this one particular night, she was taking a long time returning home so we all went out to check on her. Turns out, she'd been attacked on her way to the store, mugged for the couple thousand beli she had taken to do the shopping. She had on these when they found her." Taya pulled out a pair of worn and old looking fingerless gloves. "My Dad comes from a family of boxers and he'd gotten Mom to do a little every now and then. She always wore these gloves before stepping up to fight, and that's how we know that she at least went down swinging."

A solemn expression overcame Taya then, looking as though she might've wanted to cry, but with a shake of her head, she pulled the tears back. Her voice was a bit shaky, but she continued. "That's why I get so frustrated when people waste food and complain over utterly trivial things. Food prepared by a true loving and caring chef is always good, no matter what. And if those idiotic customers didn't waste our ingredients so haphazardly, I'd like to think that Mom wouldn't have needed to make that late night trip to the store and that she might've still been with us today."

"I'm sorry about that, Taya," Ralli spoke up, sounding unsure of his own feelings as he watched the storm of different ones ruminate on the girl's face.

Taya just smiled over at him. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault," she said. "But anyway, that's when all of the babying started from my Dad and brothers. They have no clue how strong I actually am, but even if they did, they wouldn't be able to stop themselves. I know they care, I'm just tired of it, you know." They walked silently for about another minute before stepping out of the darkness of the forest and stepping out onto a ridge with the setting sun casting what little light it had left over them. Ralli stepped up to look down at the few meters drop off the cliff. Taya just watched him curiously.

"Why do you want to be king of the pirates?" she asked once Ralli turned back to face her.

Red eye smiled thoughtfully. "Because it's something I promised a friend that I'd do, that I'd take over the seas one day. And I always keep a promise to a friend." He absently reached up to touch the medallion around his neck, his fingers moving over the sculpted ornament and Taya just barely noticed what looked like a tree engraved in the gold.

"That's funny," she remarked, drawing Ralli's attention away from the medallion and back to her as she walked over by his side and stood at the edge of the ridge. "You know, there's a list out there, Ralli. It's a list of the most powerful women on the sea, ten of them all lined up in order from the strongest down. All of them are beasts, just outright demolishers that could probably take on hundreds of enemies at one time with hardly a blink of the eye! One day, I'm going to be at the very top of that list! I'll be the world's most powerful woman, Ralli! It's my goal in life!"

"Does your dad know that?" he asked, watching as Taya looked over at him as if he were nuts.

"Don't make me laugh. Dad would have a heart attack if he knew that, which is why I don't plan on telling him…at least not yet. I want to make sure I'm ready first, ready to leave the island and set off on my goal. That's when I'll tell them all and give them a firsthand view of what I can do." She pulled a fist up, patting her bicep with a wicked smile. "Maybe I'll invite them to a show so they can see me dominate in the ring. You know, that was no stunt. I really did take down those three sumos with one punch!"

Ralli just smiled back at her with shining red eyes. "I guess you're excited about tonight, huh?"

"You know it!" was her instant reply. "I've been training hard since I was thirteen years old, fighting anything and everything that I could. Tonight, I can finally put all of that hard work to the test. If I can beat Feruk, then I'll know that I'm ready to set out on my own. It'll finally be time to say goodbye to Glory Island and hello to the world! Because one of these days, the everyone will know my name!" She looked to him then, a sparkle in her ocean blue eyes as she said, "They'll know both of us! I will be the World's Most Powerful Woman!"

The smile on Taya's face was infectious and Ralli couldn't stop himself from grinning back. "YEAH! AND I'LL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

* * *

At long last, it was time for Fight Night! Excitement filled the night on Glory Island as nearly every inhabitant made their way to the Fight Club Superdome, a large coliseum like structure built on the outskirts of the town. All kind of lights shined around the outside, beckoning every man, woman, and child to the event. The line leading in was incredibly long and was hardly moving as people of all creeds stood in preparation for the event. Some were dressed in costume of their favorite fighter. Some of the children were already busy acting out the fights with their own figurines as they patiently waited to enter.

As the mass of people waited to enter, there was already a mass inside, moving about the construct to the main area. Along the route, there were all kinds of gift stands and food vendors for the patrons. And inside the main area, the place was alive with spotlights and just exuded excitement. The place was shaped like a coliseum with a closed roof. Bench seating wrapped around the area with various entrances for the viewers. And sitting in the very center of the area was the fighting ring. The fighting stage was bathed in dirt, most likely as a bit of a cushion for any of the unlucky warriors, and about 20 feet deep, giving the fighters nowhere to run.

Even with all of the people waiting patiently outside the superdome, the stands of the fighting area were already near to half capacity with audience, all of them ready to experience the incredible Fight Night show. Amongst this group of early patrons was our crew of Ches, Atori, and Ralli. They'd found good seats right at the edge where they could look down right into the pit where the fighters would be duking it out.

"I feel so excited! I just can't wait for the show to start!" Ralli exclaimed, his arms lazily hanging over the railing as he watched the dirt pit below. "I can't believe I get to see Taya beat up that Feruk jerk in here!"

"Gee, Ralli. Talk louder, why don't cha? Go ahead and tell the whole audience her secret," Atori hissed from his seat, arms folded in a huff as he looked at red eye. Ralli just smiled sheepishly at the grumpy brunette. "You're such an idiot," he grimaced before turning to Ches, who had been unusually quiet since learning of Taya's double life as the champ. "You're worried about her, aren't you?"

Ches looked over at Atori like he'd just realized where they were. He just shook his head carefully and said, "No. I'm not."

Atori just watched the rainbow, his emerald eyes practically boring a whole in the side of Ches's head before the knife thrower turned back to him with a sigh. "Maybe a little bit," he finally piped and then just looked away when Atori wouldn't stop glaring. "Okay fine, Ato! I'm concerned, yes! But it's deserved. This isn't just anyone she's fighting. You guys saw how Feruk treated his own men. How do you think he'll really treat Taya when he gets his hands on her?"

"She's strong, Ches. I'm not worried about her," Ralli explained instantly, hardly leaving room for argument as he looked away from them and back to the ring. "I know she'll win and when she does, she can join us out on the sea. We'll help Taya reach her goal!"

Atori looked over in Ralli's direction with a knowing smile. "Aren't you the humanitarian?"

"Imma humana-what?"

"Ladiiieeesss and gentlemaaaaaannn!" a voice suddenly boomed over the audience. Just about every inch of the stadium had been filled in and still, more people clamored in to view the show. The lights dimmed and set of spotlights all converged on a spot high above the fighter's pit. A man dressed to the nines in a dark suit stood on a platform that was secured to the roof as he called out to the crowd through the den den mushi in his hand. "Are you ready?" his baritone voice ecstatically called through the speaker system.

On cue, the whole arena trembled as the audience roared to life, their screams bouncing around the concrete superdome. But, the announcer only shook his head with dissatisfaction. "I said, ARE. YOU. READYYYY!"

Yet again, the screams ripped through the building, making Atori grimace from the sounds as people screamed with joy right behind him. Ches and Ralli, on the other hand, were alive with excitement as they cheered as well, jumping into the spirit of the Fight Night event.

The audience laughed heartily before sweeping his hand out and again the arena was bathed in light. "Welcome to the West Blue Fight Club's premiere event!" he called. "This is the most entertaining show on the West Blue. We promise action! Intrigue! and above all, Excitement! This is no mere show of fighters this is FIGHT NIGHT!" This announcement earned another rousing round of applause and cheers from the audience. The man soaked up their praise for a few moments before settling them down with a wave of his hands. "We have quite a line up for your viewing pleasure this evening and for our main event. We've got the upstart fighter, Madhouse Brawler vs our reigning champ, here tonight for his 100th match and possible100th consecutive victory, the Bandaged Bruiser!" The crowd nearly split the building in half with another rousing cheer. The announcer could only grin wide at their excitement before decreeing, "Let's start the night!"

* * *

**Let's start the night, indeed! Fight Night is finally here! It's finally time to see what Taya can do and if she really has what it takes to beat up Feruk the Madhouse Brawler! Think she can do it? I sure do! And I can't wait for the action to unfold!**

**Hope everyone's enjoying the arc so far. Between Taya, Mary, and Reese, I'm pretty sure this is my favorite arc in the West Blue, but I promise the adventure doesn't even begin to plateau here. Let's Get Ready for Fight Night, folks!**

**Check back next time to see Taya vs Feruk!**


	14. Trouble Brewing with Madhouse Feruk!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"The Fight Night Main Event! Trouble Brewing with Madhouse Feruk!"**

The excitement that Fight Night promised was certainly not phoned in. It seemed nearly every person in the stands were on their feet to watch the show and for those lucky enough to have had rail sitting, they were all hanging over the barrier as if trying to get as close to the action as possible. The event enforced action through fighting, sadness through desperate losses, even a duo from some far off island had been embarrassed so pitifully that the crowd had begun balling their eyes out for the duo, sorry to see them lose. Atori couldn't even stay glued to his seat for long after the first event had started, and soon enough, he was hanging over the railing with all of the other excited visitors. The show started with a ten man battle royale, next was a one on one fight between two fighters that bared their souls on the dirt for a desperate win, next was a handicap match between two brothers and a massive man that ended in the brothers' loss, and then there was a halftime show featuring a local band. Following the band, there was an exhilarating brawl between the Masked Maniac and another competitor that ended in victory for the Maniac and shot at the reigning champ next week. And after all of that excitement and exhilaration, it was finally time for the main event.

The lights dimmed again as the spotlights landed on the announcer on his aerial stand. He gave another joyous exclaim to the crowd, praising all of the action that had happened thus far and pointed out some of the highlights of the night. After finishing his proud recall of the night, he moved on to the main event, providing a ranting praise for both fighters and a bit of background info that was obviously fake because the man said that the Bruiser had suffered severe burns as a child that covered his entire body, which was an obvious lie. The only burns Taya might've gotten on her would be kitchen related burns and nothing so serious as to cover her whole body.

"Give it up for the Madhouse Brawler!" the announcer called, over half of the crowd erupting in cheers for the fighter. Though the crowd went wild, the Battle Bars could only scowl down into the pit as Feruk stepped out onto the dirt. As usual, the pirate captain held a scowl on his face as he lazily stomped across and while he looked anything from pleasant, the crowd was eating it up, some of them going so far as to wish that he knock the champ out. Even though it was all for show, Ralli had nearly turned on them to scold them for cheering on someone like Feruk, but it took Atori to yank back the boy's irrational fury.

"And now, for the mightiest of all, West Blue's undisputed champion and Fight Night's undefeated warrior! Give it up for the Bandaged Bruiser!" On cue, the crowd nearly blew the roof off the place. Taya stepped onto ring dressed in her champion outfit with even her fingerless gloves in place over her hands. She was absent her belt, but really didn't need it now that she was about to place the title on the line. Her eyes were focused ahead, the blue orbs not daring to look away from Feruk as the pirate held his scowl at her.

"She's so focused. I don't care what anyone else says, she's going to mop the floor with that jerk!" Atori crooned, his lips curling up in a playful smile. "And I'm going to enjoy every second of it."

"Well, there aren't a whole lot of people that can actually take out three sumo wrestlers with a single punch. Even a man as vicious as Feruk doesn't have that kind of strength. She just might be able to do it," Ches remarked, though he still looked quite concerned for the girl's safety.

Ralli, on the other hand, was ready for action. "Get 'em, Ta –!" He was cutoff midsentence as Atori's leg connected with the back of his head. The brunette just growled out another idiot while red eye's head throbbed in pain. "Get 'em, Bruiser!" he called weakly as a red bump formed in the back of his head.

"It's what we've all been waiting for!" the announcer called with a bright smile on his face. "The match off of the year! The Upstart Brawler vs the reigning champion! If this brawl ends in victory for the Bruiser, it will be his 100th consecutive win, a record feat that no other fighter has ever been even come close to matching!"

"100 and 0! 100 and 0! 100 and 0!" the crowd cheered in unison, some of them even holding signs to show their support for the champ's record.

The announcer laughed heartily once again. "Will the champ be walking away with his 100th win? Or will the upstart come in to not only steal the title, but take the Bruiser's record?" Some of the audience cheered for Feruk and others were screaming out for Taya's win, meanwhile the Battle Bars were nearly over it the pit with excitement as they waited for the beginning bell. "Time to find out! Brawler! Bruiser! Begin!"

Hardly a second after the match was set to start, nearly the entire audience gasped in shock. Ralli and crew almost fell back into their seats with awe and even the announcer looked about ready to fall from his high perch as he caught the scene below. Taya took two careful steps away from Feruk, her eyes trembling with utter shock before she tightened her hands into painful fists and fixed a damning glare on the pirate captain. "WHAT!" she screamed to the top of her lungs, her voice booming over the arena with a power that rivaled the cheers of the audience as she dared Feruk to repeat himself.

The psycho pirate's mouth turned down in a deep frown that suggested he was practically laughing on the inside. "I FORFEIT!"

* * *

"Dad!" Kyler yelled as the barrel of the pistol snapped across his father's face and the older man fell across the emptied dining area of Mira's Cabin. "You bastard!" the blonde seethed, ready to tackle Gooma to the ground and beat the crap out of him, but then he felt cold steal at his neck and was forcibly held down into his seat. He looked up the knife's length to the bulky arms and finally to the brutish face of Titan.

"Easy now blondie," the big man grumbled, pressing the knife at Kyler's neck as he towered above.

It was past closing time for the crew at Mira's Cabin. All of their customers had been cleared out for the day and they'd all been in the process of cleaning up for the night when all of a sudden the Feruk Pirates had barged in on them. Now, they were all seated in the dining area with the pirates strewn about the area. Kyler – being the feistiest of the family aside from Taya – was immediately up for battle, but was restrained almost instantly with Titan's brute strength. The twins had only begun for a fight when Eric and Niles tackled them to the floor, and then forcibly restrained them to another set of seats. As for their dad, Gooma took it upon himself to handle the older man and wasn't being at all kind about his treatments.

"What was that you old bastard!" the fat pirate snarled with the barrel of his pistol aimed right for the large chef. He smiled evilly around the large bruise on his face from the punch earlier that day. "Didn't you say that you'd kill me if you ever saw me again?"

The head chef slowly pulled himself from the ground, completely ignoring the trail of blood coming from his brow where he'd been hit. He had nearly gotten to his feet when Gooma moved to his side and aimed a kick right where that man had been shot earlier that day. The old cook fell back to the floor, clutching his injured shoulder in obvious pain. Gooma just cackled and aimed the gun for the man again. "I should kill you, old man," he seethed.

"Oi! Gooma, cut it out!" a man's drowsy voice called from atop a nearby table. It was the man that had entered into Pirate Alley with Feruk the previous night and stood by as Reese was humiliated in front of the crew. He took a leisurely swig of the alcohol in his hand before focusing in on the enraged pirate. "Cap'n ain't made no calls on their lives yet. He just said detain 'em and wait for his call." He pointed over to a sleeping den den mushi at his side. "Until we get the call, no killin!"

Gooma just spat with disgust. "C'mon Juno, sir! We already know what's going to happen. The captain's going to string these prissy little cooks up on a clothesline and use them for target practice. I just want my revenge!" He turned back to the down man with angry eyes. "This old fart hits pretty hard, but I know my bullet will hurt worse."

Eric just rolled his eyes, moving the gun away from Gevin's head ever so slightly as he looked at his fat friend. "Listen to the first mate and quit being such a crybaby, Gooma. Admit it, you had been sending those plates back the whole time just to piss the cooks off. You deserved to get it slammed back in your face." Gooma just glared at the bandana'd man. Eric sighed. "Well, just go ahead and disobey Captain Feruk's orders then. You'll end up just like him." The man jerked a thumb at the door to the restaurant before smiling devilishly. "Though, captain might just kill ya."

Reluctantly, that made Gooma ease up. The pirate turned away and pulled up a seat as Pippy cackled at his table. "Say, anyone want to play a quick game? Helps pass the time," the older pirate crooned as he shuffled the cards.

A drunken Niles looked over in the man's direction and scoffed. "No wantsh to play yer shtupid game, old man," he slurred as he teetered back and forth in his chair. Even through his drunken state, he managed to hold a gun steadily at Yevin's head as the twin sat silently.

Eric leaned down to Gevin's ear, making sure to press the gun to the man's side as he did so. "You look like a good egg," he hissed, smiling when Gevin swallowed thickly at the man's tone. "My friend may be a bastard, but I do actually enjoy this place's food. I'm guessing all of you know how to cook, so why don't you go back there and whip us up something while we wait, eh? It'd be really gracious of ya." Eric cackled in Gevin's ear when the twin looked ready to spit nails. "And think before answering too," he crooned, moving the gun away from Gevin and aiming it at Yevin. "Captain may not want you idiots dead just yet, but that doesn't mean we can't have any fun with ya and I've always wanted to know if you torture one twin, does the other feel it. I just might be ready to experiment without any food in my stomach."

Gevin sneered angrily, but stood out of his seat anyway and made his way for the kitchen. "Oh!" Eric called again and stopped the waiter. "Don't even think about poisoning us. Whatever you make, we'll be making your dad taste first. Just so ya know." The devious pirate winked in the twin's direction and ushered him on to the kitchen with a wave of his gun. The other pirates burst with laughter at Eric's taunting.

Meanwhile, outside Mira's Cabin, Reese leaned against the building, his gaze drawn up to the cloudless night's sky. His chest still burned like hell and the bullet wound in his leg was just as disabling, but he'd never voice those concerns. He could only watch the moon with his violet eyes as he cringed upon hearing the pirates laugh within the restaurant. "Atori…" he whispered as he recalled the previous night and being at Feruk's mercy. "Why were you mad?"

* * *

"D-did that bastard just say that he forfeits?" Atori muttered, looking as if he'd just been slapped in the face. And he wasn't the only one. The entire audience seemed dejected from the fighter's abrupt statement, every one of them looking around for confirmation of what they'd just heard. "That dirty son of a bitch!"

"BOOO!" Ralli crooned, his body hallway over the railing as he jeered Feruk. "BOOO! You suck Feru – I mean, Brawler! BOOO!" Soon enough, the entire audience was following red eye's lead. They all booed and jeered at the man, some going so far as to throw trash into pit with their anger.

But none of that seemed to bother Feruk. The man's upside smile was plain on his face as he looked across at Taya, his dark eyes searing the girl's body like an x-ray. Ches shot up like he'd been electrocuted. "I bet this is what he meant last night about coming into more money," he said aloud, his voice barely audible over the booing around them. Atori and Ralli straightened up to hear the rainbow out. "Think about it. As clean of an event as something like Fight Night is, everything casts shadows and thus there is always darkness. And I'd bet my life that this place has quite the lucrative gambling ring when it comes to the fights."

Though Ralli seemed a bit loss, Atori's green eyes sprouted with realization. "And on a fight as big as this one, there's no way there weren't some big time deals being put down for the winner. That son of a bitch must've bet against himself!"

"But if he deliberately forfeited like that without even giving a decent fight, wouldn't that mean that they wouldn't pay him?" Ralli asked.

"This is 'Madhouse' Feruk we're talking about. Who's really going to call him on the bet?" Ches reasoned with an affirmative nod, but then frowned as he looked back into the pit. "But Taya? She'd really been looking forward to the fight."

Ralli just growled out like an animal. "That dirty jerk!" he seethed, glaring down at the ever scowling Feruk. "I really want to beat the crap out of him!"

"Forfeit? What do you mean you forfeit?" Taya yelled with anger in her eyes as she hardly restrained herself from rushing the pirate. Feruk could only scowl in return, though his eyes looked to be smiling with glee. "So many people have been looking forward to this! I-I'VE been looking forward to this!" she demanded of Feruk before roaring with anger. "YOU CAN'T JUST QUIT!"

"Watch me," he crooned in response as he stood rooted to the ground.

"Um, well, I'm not too sure what to say here?" the announcer called from above as he just looked down into the pit with a questioning expression. "Since the Brawler has forfeited, I suppose that Bruiser remains champ and thus, he has reached his record 100th consecutive win, but, um…"

"He is the winner!" Feruk yelled from the pit, his voice managing to reach the announcer despite the onslaught of booing. The pirate looked up at the announcer with a dangerous glint in his eye. "Now move on to the next phase of the night!"

That seemed to remind the announcer of his job. "Uh, yeah, right!" he called before straightening his composure and reverting back to his flamboyant announcer personality. "With the Madhouse Brawler's forfeit, the Bandaged Bruiser remains our champion! But that is not all that we've got for you folks tonight!" the announcer bellowed through the sound system.

"Not all?" Atori questioned before turning to Ches. "What else do they really have planned? I thought the whole point of a main event was that it was the last event of the night."

Ches shrugged at first, but then a thought dawned on him. "Well, it has been a while since I've attended Fight Night, but if I do recall, they did have this post-main event match up. They'd call an audience member from the stands to see if they could challenge the champ to a one on one fight."

"Do they bet on that too?" Ralli asked after a moment.

Ches's eyes widened at the question before he looked down to Feruk, who was frowning as deeply as one possibly could. For Feruk, that meant his face was nearly split in half with an evil smile. "They do," Ches finally answered with worry in his voice. "And I have a feeling, that Feruk has something planned for that."

"And it is at this time of the night that we call out to the audience to find anyone with the heart of a lion, anyone with the will to fight, ANYONE WHO DARES TO CHALLENGE OUR CHAMPION!" the announcer called. Before he could even speak anymore, a man's voice roared from the fighting pit below.

"I dare to fight!" the voice demanded, and all eyes were drawn back to the pit as they took in the opponent. He was right at seven feet tall with shiny blue skin that practically glimmered in the light. His body looked sculpted with muscle as he stomped across the dirt, his black, curly hair flowing down his back as he walked, just barely touching the blue fin on his back. He had gils around his thick neck and he had sharp, dangerous teeth with a pointed nose. He was clad in flip slops, a simple pair of blue shorts and a gray, sleeveless hoodie with a weird looking sun emblem on the front of it. "The name's Rotteshigi!" the fishamn called darkly once he'd came to stand at Feruk's side, the pirate's scowl deepening with joy ever so slightly. "And I dare to stomp any rotten human into the ground!"

* * *

**Not a very long update, but I dare say the action speaks for itself. Pirates at Mira's Cabin! A fishman in the pit! Feruk happy and Ralli pissed! O_o Things are heating up on Glory Island and it's about to get explosive in the next few chapters. Can the Battle Bars handle it? Can Taya take it? Or is Feruk the Madhouse Brawler going to take the day?**

**Check back to find out!**

**ATTENTION: Question to my dear readers? If you've made it this far in my story, you've obviously read through the first arc. Does anyone think I should revamp that arc? I kind of got hasty in the beginning and started posting before I'd really laid the groundwork for this story, so I was thinking maybe I should reorganize it before the story really takes off. Nothing major. Just changing some scenes around and maybe reworking some of the dialogue. So, think so or think no? Anyways, catch ya Monday!**


	15. Save the Crew of Mira's Cabin!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Taya in Trouble! Save the Crew of Mira's Cabin!"**

"W-what the hell is this!" Taya yelled as she glared across the dirt to Rotteshigi and Feruk.

Feruk turned away from Taya to gaze up at Rotteshigi before looking back, a sense of satisfaction on his face. "Your opponent…_Taya_," he replied, an inner joy sparking inside him as Taya's eyes widened upon hearing her name. "What's wrong? Thought that you had such a perfectly hidden identity? Don't make me laugh, you idiotic girl. You've been found out and if you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say."

Taya was grinding her teeth with anger beneath the bandages covering her head, but she could only focus her rage filled glare on the pirate captain with her eyes. "What do you want?" she growled out.

"For you to lose this match," Feruk answered, earning a confused look from Taya. "This is an associate of mine, whom I've paid handsomely to come out and fight you this evening. He is a powerful, ravenous creature that could snap you like a twig if he truly wanted to. But even with that in consideration, I need a good performance from you." At his side, Rotteshigi smiled like the shark he was. "You see, Taya, I've placed a very high level bet on this matchup right here. I had been tempted to place it on our own match, but then, I didn't want there to be a chance of it backfiring since I was going to obviously throw the match. No one can really question the win of a fishman, though, which is why Rotteshigi is here to secure it. All from you that I need, is to give the crowd a good show. Fight your heart out as usual and then, at some point, just lie over and KO, but you'd better make it believable girl. If I don't get my money, I won't hesitate to burn this entire island to the ground and I'm sure you don't want all of that death on your hands, now do you?"

The evil in Feruk's eyes made Taya's skin crawl. "Fine!" she grunted out and watched as Feruk whispered something in Rotteshigi's ear and turned away from the duo to stand against one of the walls surrounding the pit, but then he paused.

"Oh yeah," he said and turned back to Taya. "Just as a bit more incentive on your part to cooperate, I've sent my entire crew to dine at Mira's Cabin tonight. It'd be a real shame if the cleanup crew experienced an unfortunate accident while closing up the restaurant." That rerouted all anger in the girl's body and it felt like her blood ran cold from the chilling thought. "Play nice, Taya, or I'll make sure you stand by and watch as I beat them to within an inch of their lives." Feruk didn't offer anything else to Taya as she stood, basically frozen, and watched him retreat to a nearby wall to lean and enjoy the show.

"Let the fight begin!" the announcer called.

By the time Taya remembered where she was or what she was supposed to be doing, Rotteshigi was already upon her with a malicious cackle. "I'll make you beg, you human trash!" he seethed before crashing a fist into Taya's skull.

Even Atori cringed from the impact as Taya took the fishman's hit and was sent flying over the dirt before crashing with a sliding force. "Dammit!" he growled. "What the hell kind of crap is this! How could they really let a fishman of all people fight in these things?" He cringed as Taya took a few more vicious blows and was sent to the ground again.

"This is not right," Ches hissed, his anger just as prevalent as Atori's. "She's not even trying to fight back! That monster is just destroying her! We need to do – Ralli?" He stopped mid-sentence, turning his head to see Ralli was on the verge of turning into his panther form and his claws were ripping at the railing as he growled like an animal. "We're all mad, but you can't jump in there. There's obviously something wrong and we need –."

"That jerk threatened her family!" Ralli seethed through sharp, fanged teeth. "Feruk threatened to hurt her family if she didn't agree to throw the fight!"

"What!" Ato and Ches yelled.

Ralli couldn't tear his sharp, glowing red eyes from the scene below, his anger multiplying with every time he watched Taya get hit. "I saw Feruk speaking down there, so I sharpened my hearing. He put a bet on this fight for a lot of money and if Taya doesn't agree to throw the fight, he said that he'd torture her family!" Ralli's claws sent sparks as he slashed them across the railing with rage. "I'm going to kill that bastard!"

Before Ralli could even begin to leap into the pit, Atori grabbed a vice lock around his arm. "Wait, dammit!" he growled, his green eyes sharp with anger. "If you do that, Feruk will just sick his hounds on Taya's family, Ralli! We have to save them first before we can do anything about the match."

"And what if that monster kills her before we get back?" Ralli roared out, drawing a few shocked glances from some audience members, but they were hardly a concern for him at the moment. "I won't let Taya die!"

"Which is why you'll stay here, captain," Ches said, standing from his seat with a sea of anger roiling in his brown eyes. Ato and Ralli looked up at him in confusion. "You'll stay here and monitor the fight while Ato and I go to Mira's Cabin to save her family. We'll try to move as fast as possible, but if we can't get back before…well before things turn any worse in there." He looked down into the pit where Taya took a brutal knee to the stomach before being swatted across the pit like a tennis ball, Rotteshigi cackling like a mad man the whole time. "Well then, you do what you must." He fixed Ralli with a serious stare. "But Ralli, you must be patient. This will be brutal, not just to watch, but for you especially because of your caring nature. You must remain rooted to these stands as long as humanly possible. There's no telling what Atori and I will be greeted with at the cabin and it only takes one gun to murder."

"I get it!" Ralli roared out, not even caring about his biting tone at the moment. He nodded to his crew. "I'll wait, but I don't know how long I can. So, be quick!"

Atori stood up with a dark chuckle. "Be quick?" he said, his tone as dark and evil as any villain's. "I'll have those bastards begging for their lives before Feruk even has time to think of what he's going to do with that money."

Ato and Ches rushed on past Ralli, heading up the stairs three at a time before hitting the entrance and sprinting out of the Superdome. Meanwhile, Ralli had moved to clawing at his seat as he watched the display below, another scratch carved for every hit Taya took. "Dammit! Hurry, guys!" he growled beneath his breath.

"This is going to be one hell of a run! Mira's Cabin is basically on the other side of town!" Ches barked as they rushed out of the Superdome and into the night like bats out of hell.

"Ches!" Atori puffed as he and the knife thrower hit the streets of the town and sprinted around the corner of a building. "There are going to be a lot of guys at the cabin. Judging by how many were in Pirate Alley, I'd say somewhere around fifty pirates in total." The navigator just looked over at Atori as he waited for the brunette to make his point. "Look, we're both good, but even those are pretty steep odds, especially when you consider their weapons. I know about your…dislike of blood. I just need to be sure that when we get to fighting that you won't freeze up on me or anything. We're going to have to have each other's backs! You can be damned sure that I've got yours!"

The memory of Ches's fight with Burty whipped through the rainbow's mind, recalling that moment where he indeed did freeze up during battle. With a grunt/sigh, he said, "And I've got yours, Atori!" He gripped the knives in his pockets to support himself as the brunette nodded in confirmation and they picked up their speed as they dotted through the town on their route to save Taya's family.

The run across town took all of about five minutes; five long minutes that reminded the duo of how much longer Taya had to suffer. But finally, they'd reached the street of restaurants where Mira's Cabin sat at a dead end. Shocking them both as they walked up to the entrance of the cabin, they found Reese standing, his eyes in the stars above as if he were daydreaming. Maybe if they both weren't so upset at the moment, they would've felt somewhat bad for the long blade swordsman with his bandaged wounds and even the additional black eye that he must've gotten after the crew had departed Pirate Alley the previous night.

"Reese," Atori growled, his mixed feelings about the pirate turning sour as he yanked his tonfa out of his boots and fixed the violet eyed man with a deadly glare. Reese looked away from the stars and his eyes widened when he found Ato and Ches standing about ten meters down the street. "I'm only going to say this once," he continued before Reese could speak. "Either move out of our way or get cut down!"

At a loss for words, Reese held their stares for a long moment before pushing off of the wall and stepping out to greet the duo. "Of all the people, Atori, I hadn't expected to see you tonight," he said, not missing the glint of moonlight off of the two knives Ches pulled from his pockets. "Considering how mad you both look, I'd say you're here for the girl's family. I had no idea that she was a friend of yours."

"Save it!" Ato barked and pointed a tonfa right for Reese. "Either move. Or. Get. Cut. Down! Make your choice now, or I'll make it for you!"

Reese just scoffed. "Letting you two just walk right past me and into the restaurant would be a direct violation of Captain Feruk's orders, Atori. I think we've already seen what happens when I disobey." He didn't miss the almost saddened look over Ato's face, but that passed as quickly as it came. Both Ches and Ato looked ready to rush the swordsmen, but suddenly Reese spun on his heel and began walking down a nearby alley. "It's just too bad that I feel like taking a walk right now and won't be around to see you two bust in there."

Ches looked genuinely shocked to see the violet eyed man walk off, but the second Reese disappeared into the shadows of the alley, Atori walked off to the restaurant. His steps were slow and methodical as his ears concentrated to hear every single voice behind the western doors. Ches was right behind him, a set of knives ready to be slung out with perfect precision as soon as they were through the doors.

They entered silently, practically ghosting through the doors, before the unmistakable squeak of the opening door announced their presence. Immediately, any and all conversations within the restaurant went silent as just about every Feruk pirate turned to the duo that were standing still as stone right there in the entrance. In a quick glance, they both pinpointed Taya's family, happy to see that they were still alive.

"Oi! Look! It's those two bastards from last night!" one of the pirates called.

Atori's eyes slid over the crew of criminals, his eyes making note of all of them wielding guns and of those, who looked ready to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, Ches was scanning over the set of pirates personally guarding Taya's family, and just who looked the most ready to kill at the moment.

Juno leapt off of his table and trudged closer to the unmoving duo, his lazy eyes almost looking overcast as he looked them over with a sly smile. "Sorry gentlemen, but Mira's Cabin is closed for the night. Maybe you both should head on home," the lazy pirate crooned as a hand rested on a dagger strapped to his hip. "We're a bit busy at the moment and if you know what's good for you, you'll forget anything you've seen." Then, on a second thought, he added, "Or don't? It really doesn't matter. Just get lost!"

Atori glared Juno down for a long hard moment, making even the lazy pirate look nervous under his scrutinizing green eyes. Finally, he spoke, and his tone was chillingly hateful. "And if we don't?"

Juno's eye twitched under Ato's glare, but he turned away from the cold eyes and caught the intense expressions upon his crew. His vigor revitalized, he looked back to the duo with a cunning smirk. "You join them."

Atori glanced over in the family's direction, noting a few wounds that had been placed on them since being capture. He especially noted the shocked expressions on Kyler's and Gevin's faces as they recalled him from earlier that day. His emerald eyes then glared back to Juno and he spoke. "We'll take our chances."

On cue, every pirate aside from those detaining Taya's family moved for the duo. Juno took a few casual steps back to allow the action to unfold before him, his eyes holding Atori's glare with all of the courage that he could muster. But soon enough, Atori looked away from the first mate and scanned over the tidal wave of pirates rushing right for them.

"Hold on, Ches!" he demanded before holding out both tonfa to brace for an impact. The second he felt the knife thrower take a firm grip of his shoulder, Atori readied himself for the charge. "Snake Art: Charging Mamba!" he declared before breaking off the wood flooring like a charging rhino with the speed of a leopard. In a flash, Atori burst through the wall of charging pirates, sending them astray as he ran right through them.

On the other side of the Feruk Pirates, Atori squatted to the ground, giving Ches a platform as the knife thrower stepped onto his back. Ato then shot up like a spring, pushing Ches high – almost to the roof of the spacious dining area – as the rainbow soared through the air and over the crew of pirates holding Taya's brothers and father. Armed with two shuriken knives per hand, he called, "Shrapnel Storm!" and spun around quickly before throwing out his knives with the speed of bullets.

Each blade found its mark. One in Titan's neck, one in Gooma's hand, one in Eric's arm, and the final merely slapped the gun out of the drunken Niles's hand. Ches landed back onto the floor with grace and by the time he'd turned to the group, Gevin, Yevin, Kyler, and their father were on their feet and swinging out fists like there was no tomorrow.

Atori smiled devilishly before turning a cunning smirk back to Juno, whose lazy routine seemed to be shifting to anger quite quickly. "You were right, lazy brow. We will be joining them…" he quirked, his smiling growing wider when Taya's family moved over to join him and Ches moved at his side. "We'll be joinging them in beating the crap out of all of you!"

At that very moment, the doors to the restaurant squeaked open again and everyone's eyes were drawn to Reese as the swordsmen stepped into the room. "What's up with all of the noise?" he asked casually as his eyes scanned over the assortment of pirates sprawled out on the floor, the rest of the pirates standing and glaring across the room, and of course Atori and Ches with Taya's family behind them. "Seems to be a problem, Juno sir."

"Your damn right it's a problem and I'll be sure to tell cap'n about how you let these two waltz right up in here when this is over with, you sorry excuse for a swordsman!" Juno all but roared out of anger.

Reese merely shrugged in response before pulling his long blade and locking eyes with Atori, making the brunette smile at the obvious challenge.

A long moment paused as they all just glared across at one another, so much time that Juno had completely lost his lazy expression and his cheeks flushed red with anger. "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Cap'n 'ill be callin any second now! And I be damn if I stand on the wrong side of that man's rage!" He pulled his dagger and aimed it right for the crew. "Unless you feel like die'n tonight! Kill these two buggers and get the lass's family back under control, dammit!"

And like taunting a bull, Juno's words made the whole crew rush in for the attack.

* * *

Feruk hardly batted an eye when Taya crashed into the wall next to him like a cannon ball. A pained gasp tore through the girl's lips as she landed on the dirt and pirate captain just scowled at her. "You're not doing a good job," he grumbled as he watched her barely pull herself to her feet. She was panting from exhaustion and she could hardly stand straight from the pain racking her body. Feruk just shook a displeased head at her when the girl's blue eyes turned his way. He pulled a den den mushi from his coat, saying, "Maybe the screams of your family will get you to play your part a little better?"

Taya growled out of anger, but shook her head desperately at the man, disgusted to see the conniving happiness in Feruk's eyes.

"Then get to it!" he growled, nodding a head over to where Rotteshigi was standing with his sharp teeth gleaming in the light as he smiled wildly. "He's a fishman. He can take a few of _your_ punches."

Not even sparing Madhouse another glance, Taya stepped back out into the dirt, her eyes locked on Rotteshigi's. She ignored the small trail of blood from her mouth that was staining through her bandages and just aimed all of her hate ahead. _Fine then, you son of a bitch! You want a show? I'll give you one!_

"Finally learning your place, trash?" Rotteshigi mocked with a malicious cackle when the champ only glared at him. "Well it's too late for that! I'll wear your bones for decoration!" he cackled.

Taya just growled like an animal before breaking off the ground with a sprint right for the fishman. Rotteshigi was so surprised to see her ready to fight back that he only froze mid-laugh and watched as the champ charged him. The whole Superdome seemed to freeze as Taya rushed ahead, as if they were all holding their breaths for what was about to happen next.

"Try this!" she called, leaping from the ground and crossing the remaining gap between them with a fist poised for impact. "You fish bastard!" Taya's punch struck with the force of a freight train, making Rotteshigi's head snap back with pain, and before anyone knew what to think, the fishman was knocked right off of his feet and sent flying across to the other side of pit to crash with an explosive force.

The place was dead silent for all of five seconds while they all tried to wrap their heads around the fact that their champ had just sent a fishman flying with one punch. But then, all of a sudden, the crowd exploded with cheers, all of the calling out for their unstoppable champ and yelling for her to show the fishman who rules Fight Night! Taya, meanwhile, only stopped to send a scolding glance back at Feruk, seeing actual shock on the pirate's face from her powerful punch. She just scoffed and turned back to the cratered wall wear Rotteshigi was pulling himself back up. There was a gash atop the fishman's skull, and you better believe he was far from happy about that.

His tongue whipped out to lick away a stray trail of his blood before he growled like a rabid animal. "I'll make you pay for that, HUMAN!" He rushed out toward Taya with a look of pure rage as he swung out with a deadly fist.

Taya easily sidestepped the punch and cracked Rotteshigi across the jaw with a stunning punch, and then rocked the fishman with two thunderous jabs across the man's face before knocking him back a few steps with an uppercut to the chin. She was in prime boxing stance, her fists ready to explode out with fireball punches as Rotteshigi staggered from the attack and then rushed her again. She dodged another punch and ducked under a kick and finally jumped back when the fishman tried to punch her into the ground. And with his missed punch in the dirt, Rotteshigi could only look up in surprise when Taya was ready to send him flying with yet another destructive punch.

"Kill the blonde with the braid," she heard Feruk hiss from his perch on the wall. Taya froze instantly, her punch stopping in mid-air as her blood chilled from the man's words. Her concern for Rotteshigi flying out the window, Taya's head whipped back to Feruk, but he didn't even have the snail phone in his hands. "That's what I'll be saying if you don't stop making yourself look dominant! I said give them a show, not win the match, bitch!" he seethed.

And while Taya's focus was far from the fight, Rotteshigi grinned wickedly before swinging up with a punishing uppercut across her face. The blow knocked Taya right off of her feet and sent her flying quite a few inches into the air. Once again, the crowd fell gravely silent as the bandages around the champ's face began unwinding from the strong punch. With a laugh, Rotteshig struck Taya's dazed body with another harsh punch to the gut that sent her flying into a wall with the same explosive force as she'd did him earlier.

The fishman roared an evil laugh again. "You stupid trash! You think you're strong!" he cackled as Taya yanked herself from the wall, her bandages falling from around her face as she fell to her knees and spat blood. She flung the mess of blonde hair out of her face as she glared up at Rotteshigi, her face now perfectly visible without the bandages obscuring it. "I'll show you true power, girl! I'll show you the strength of the superior fishmen!"

* * *

**Reese, you sly dog you. Just letting the guys waltz right on up in there. I knew you weren't a bad guy. And what about that Fight Night action? Things are heating up in the pit as Rotteshigi dominates Taya. Think she can hold out? Think Ralli can contain himself? Think the rest of the Battle Bars and Taya's family can take down the Feruk Pirates? And what about the mysterious Mary? Wonder will she play a role in all of this? Hee-Haw! Only time can tell dear readers!**

**Check back next time for more Glory Island action!**

**(P.S.) If you're a reader of Teruul's "Race for One Piece" and you enjoy the shipping of Kitsune and Eluur, be sure to check out my latest fic. It's a one-shot about the duo that I can only hope a Keluur fan would enjoy reading. Otherwise, Peace Out til Friday!**


	16. The Long Blade vs The Serpent Knight!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"A Pirate's World and a Man's Pride! The Long Blade vs the Serpent Knight!"**

"Aren't you concerned about your friends?" Reese quirked, his ear practically twitching with the chaotic ruckus coming from within the restaurant. He even turned back for a quick glance, barely catching the glimpse of pirates getting thrown about the large dining area. But then, he turned back to Atori, his violet eyes boring into the emerald ones across from him. The second the fighting had begun, they'd walked outside, both inwardly wanting a more spacious area for their encounter. "It is a fifty to five ratio in there, so that's about ten of our crew for every one of the others."

Atori scoffed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but your crew isn't exactly the brightest and numbers don't equate strength. I know for a fact that Ches is more than enough to handle ten of your measly crew, and then, I'm pretty sure Taya's dad is enough to take out the other forty. And her brothers are pretty kickass too. Really, it's you that should be worried about _your_ friends."

It was Reese's turn to scoff as he looked away from Atori and gazed to the stars wistfully. "Don't call them my friends. They're just crew," he said matter of factly.

He was completely off his guard at that moment and Atori had a prime moment to swoop in and knock the long bladed man's head off, but that would go against his own moral code of fighting. "So why follow them then?" he instead asked, drawing Reese's attention once again.

Reese just smiled spitefully. "So you're not a real pirate then?" he responded with a solemn tone.

"What does that have to do with anything!" he barked in reply. "You're more like Feruk's slaves then his crew! Do what he says or die? What the hell does that have to do with being a _real_ pirate!"

"Because when you're a true pirate, you always follow your captain! No matter what!" he demanded, though he looked anything but happy about the exclamation. "You chose the captain! You chose the crew! You chose life under the captain's command! So, you follow him for as long as he wants you to! Respect doesn't matter! Honesty doesn't matter! Livelihood doesn't matter! All that matters is following your captain and serving with your crew! That's what being a real pirate is, Atori! And when you fail to uphold that most basic of rules, then you get punished. Simple as that! And if punishment comes out to your death, you accept that because in the end, it was your fault for failing in the first place!"

Atori was stunned speechless for a long moment as he took in Reese's words. "So, that's why you expected me to kill you after our fight, huh? Failure equates death? In the pirate world, your captain rules your life and if he wants to end it, he can?" he finally asked and then spat with disgust when Reese nodded his head. "Well I don't give a damn how things go in the pirate world. In mine, I'm the only one that chooses when I die, captain's orders or not. But I suppose being Feruk's whipping boy for so long can turn anyone spineless."

Reese's eye twitched with irritation at Ato's words as he settled an angered glare on the brunette. Soon enough though, he sighed away his frustration and just smiled. "I used to be like you once, foolishly brave and naïve to my own weakness. A while back, I thought I had what it took to take on the world and anyone that dared to stand in my path would feel hell's hottest fires as penalty. You know, I never even wanted to be a pirate and I'm guessing you were the same, but some unfortunate event has led you to a life on the sea. Just like me, you'll be shown how these waters truly operate. It took a particularly painful encounter with Feruk for the realization to dawn on me. You're just a very small speck of dirt on a much grander structure, and the fact that you're just a first mate makes you even smaller. Be as brave as you like, Atori, but in the world of pirates – the very world that you are now involved – it's the captain who rules your life. You go where he wants to go, you eat what he wants to eat, you do what he wants to do. Soon, whatever ambitions you had for your life will take a backseat to his demands, whatever dreams you had will become nothing but thoughts put on the backburner while you all work to accomplish your captain's aspirations. You'll learn just how –,"

"SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!" Atori roared, his tonfa aimed right at Reese to emphasize his threat. "Just because you were weak enough to be manipulated as Feruk's plaything doesn't mean it'll happen to me! I don't have goals, wishes, or dreams! I have demands, demands that will be satisfied even if I have to do it by myself! So don't try and tell me that my captain will push anything aside for himself!"

Atori's yell bounced off the buildings around them, his voice booming with absolute confidence as even the stars twinkled in acceptance of his words, but Reese didn't seem convinced. "That boy you're with, the red-eyed one. I'm guessing he's your captain?" he asked finally. Atori didn't have to answer, so Reese continued. "He's a Teko. I don't even have to ask. I can tell just by looking at his eyes, the way that they shined when he was angry. That, in and of itself, is a premonition for the life to come. Look Atori, I'm not telling you this to discourage you, threaten you, or to even make you mad. I'm saying this because I've been where you are. Believe me, when you're in deep with a captain, there's no escape, no second chances. I will always regret the day that I allowed myself to join this crew, even if I'd done it to save my own life. Teko might have your best interest at heart now, but one day – whether it's tomorrow, a week from now, a month, or even a year – whatever _demands_ you had on these waters will become goals and then those goals will become wishes and then those wishes will just be dreams that you have a night to comfort yourself while you're busy with accomplishing his own desires during the day. In the end, it's always what the captain wants."

Atori's eyes were overcast with gloom as he looked down at the ground, letting Reese's words settled into his head as the time passed by. After nearly thirty seconds of silence between the duo, Atori threw his head back with a dry laugh that seemed to slap Reese across the face with shock. "You know, Reese," he finally said, aiming his cold eyes back across at the long blade swordsman. "When I first saw you, standing out from the rest of pirates with an air of confidence, there was something that I liked about you. I guess you can say I like strong people and when I saw you last night, I could tell you were anything but weak. When we fought, I knew it. You fought with determination, skill, and utter confidence. I knew that there was no way that you would ever prove to be a spineless coward. Tonight though, you've proved me absolutely wrong. You're so spineless and weak that you even want to drag other people down with you just so you don't feel so alone. Misery might love company, but she'll have to find some other pathetic loser to sit with you because I'm not going for it." He gripped his tonfa so tight that his knuckles turned white and readied himself for the fight. "There's only one thing I care about in my life right now and that's getting my brother back from Yonko Kaido! Yeah, that's right! The fucking emperor himself!" he said when Reese looked beyond shocked to hear Atori's goal. "So if that means I have to kick your ass, Feruk's, or even Ralli's, then I'll do just that! I'll fight until my last breath because I'll never turn my back on my desire! I'll die before I just let my brother go! Now raise that sword you weak bastard so I can save Taya's family and get the fuck off this island!"

Meanwhile, on the inside of Mira's Cabin, anarchy ruled as the Feruk Pirates battled it out with Taya's family and Ches.

Kyler ducked under two swords from the surrounding pirates before leaning his head to the side to dodge a gun shot. "You bastards are going to have to do better than this!" the feisty blonde yelled, grounding his feet before thrusting out a blinding amount of punches. His fists struck out like pistons taking out the entire surrounding crew. "I swear, I could be a better pirate than some of you idiots," he scolded.

"In your dreams!" Eric screamed, charging Kyler from the back with his cutlass poised to stab.

"And you!" Kyler snarled, glaring over his shoulder with burning blue eyes. With a graceful leap, the blonde jumped over the stabbing sword, much to the surprise of Eric. "You're the worst!" In mid-air, Kyler spun around with a boot right to Eric's face, sending the bandana'd pirate flying across the dining area.

While the blonde snickered happily at Eric, the twins were going round for round with another group of pirates. They had their backs against a wall with a group of the pirates moving in to attack, but they were far from concerned. They struck out like angry snakes, their punches enough to send every pirate flying back.

"This is fun!" Yevin cheered, dodging a spiked mallet before yanking the ill-fated pirate in for an elbow to the face and then a blinding punch that sent him rolling across the floor.

Gevin laughed like a kid, sidestepping a gunshot and knocking another set of pirates away with an especially hard punch. "Yeah! Now I see why Taya and Kyler are always getting into fights!"

And in the middle of the floor, their father was sending pirates flying with every attack. The man was practically blowing fire he looked so angry and his punches were whipping across at the pirates like they were ants. Titan – being the only one who could even remotely match the large man's size and strength – rushed in with a punch that seemed to rock the older man, but Taya's dad was out of it for all of a second before punching Titan with an uppercut so hard, that the brute of a pirate was sent flying into the ceiling. Then, all of a sudden, he locked eyes with Gooma, who was cowering behind a group as he nursed his bloody hand.

As if nothing else was there, the angry chef burst through the crowd and lunged for the fat pirate. Gooma had only a millisecond to be shocked before Taya's Dad snatched him up by his collar. "Wait a second!" Gooma screeched when Taya's Dad lifted a fist. And before he could whimper anything else, the fist struck with just as much power as the one earlier that day. Gooma was sent flying across the restaurant and crashed into a wall with a cratering force, making whatever pirates that had been attacking the older man flee in fear.

"You're good with your knives, mate!" Juno cheered as he held his knife out for another strike. Ches didn't even bat an eye at the lazy pirate. "We could use a guy like you on the crew. If you give up now, I might just be able to convince the cap'n to spare your life."

Ches scoffed. "Like I'd ever want to join your crew," he replied, spinning the shuriken knives around in his hand lazily. "I'm not even flattered by the offer."

"Oh well, it was half-hearted at best anyway." Juno shrugged before lunging at Ches with the dagger.

Not missing a beat, Ches met the pirate's dagger with his knife and then swung around with his other weapon. Juno jumped back to dodge the strike and when Ches moved forward to attack again, the lazy pirate reached into the bag on his side and pulled out a little black orb. Before the rainbow could move out of the way, Juno threw the bomb at him and his whole vision exploded in choking, black smoke.

Ches felt like he was about ready to cough up a lung as he unintentionally inhaled the smog. While he tried to find a way out of the cloud, he heard footsteps at his right and before he knew what to do about it, a painful kick struck his stomach and sent him flying out the smoke and crashing into a nearby table. He closed his eyes to dull the pain radiating through his skull and when he opened them again, Juno was flying through the air and descending on him with his dagger.

"Get lost, freak!" Kyler cheered, swooping in with a vicious punch at the last second to save Ches's life and send Juno rolling across the floor. "Are you okay?" He offered a hand down to Ches and yanked the knife thrower back to his feet.

"Yeah," he replied, absently rubbing at the back of his head where he'd crashed into the table. "He took me off guard with that smoke trick is all." And then his eyes sprouted in shock when he noticed that Kyler wasn't alone in standing at his side. Gevin, Yevin, and their dad was behind the rainbow and the Feruk Pirates were all crowding Juno as the lazy pirate pulled himself from the floor.

"Juno sir, they're too strong!" one complained. "I can't take anymore!" another whined. "We have to get Captain Feruk! Reese is outside so there's no one else strong enough to take these guys on!" a final one demanded.

Juno bolted off of the floor with a snarl that made the pirates shrink back. "You really expect the cap'n to forgive such weakness!" he yelled. "The second he sees ya, you're as good as dead!" The lazy pirate turned an angered glare at the crew before it contorted into a sick smile. "Which is why we stay and fight! And I've got just the ingredient to serve up for these cooks and their little friend." Juno reached into his sack and pulled out a white ball this time, holding it out as the pirates oohed and aahed at it.

With that, Juno threw the white orb to the floor and it exploded on impact into a cloud of white smoke. Ches and the cooks took a few careful steps away from the smoke cloud, some of them covering their mouths to keep from inhaling the mysterious smoke. But the cloud was hardly given two seconds to expand before Juno called, "Inhale!" from within. On cue, every pirate within the cloud took in a deep breath, the white smoke disappearing into all of their bodies as they breathed it in. With the fumes inside of them, they all smiled wickedly, like maniacs as the substance was absorbed into their bodies.

Juno laughed happily and said, "They might have been too strong for ya before, but let's see what ya all think when you can't feel their punches."

Atori hissed with concentration as he dodged through the storm of stabbing slashes sent his way. Meanwhile, Reese had his teeth bared in anger as he struck his sword out to impale the brunette.

"Take it back, bastard!" the violet-eyed man sneered. He yanked the sword back and then swung out to slash clean through Ato's body. The brunette leapt over the slash and the second he touched back on the ground, he dove out with a tonfa aimed for Reese. The swordsman didn't miss a beat and straightened up his sword to block the weapon.

"Why so mad?" Atori mocked as he pressed against the sharp steel, so much so that Reese had to use his other hand to brace the sword and keep from being overwhelmed. "Don't like being called weak? You're just a puppet for master to use, remember? And I'm pretty sure toys don't have feelings."

Reese snarled and shoved Atori away. He struck out with another stab and when Atori moved to the side to dodge, he swung the sword out to slash at him. "Say it again! I dare you!" he roared, inwardly growling when Ato narrowly dodged getting his stomach sliced open.

"What? The fact that you're weak?" Atori asked with feigned innocence.

That just threw gas on an already intense flame. Reese swung out his sword in an array of strikes, slashing at the brunette, stabbing at him, even trying to decapitate like a guillotine at one point. But for each movement, Atori had answer, his tonfa whipping around to stop every deadly slash. The long blade suddenly whipped through the air to cut Ato down the middle and the brunette brought up both tonfa to stop the attack, the weapons ringing out in an ear-ringing clash of metal.

He smiled wickedly at Reese while the swordsman merely glared with an army of daggers. "Gee, Reese. If you'd fought like this in the first place, maybe Feruk wouldn't have had to use you as a punching bag," he said, laughing heartily when Reese glared with blind fury.

"I'll cut out your fucking tongue!" he seethed, pulling back the sword and striking out to spear it through Ato's body. The brunette narrowly dodged the attack and then jumped way back when the long blade aimed to cut him in half. Reese brought the sword back up to his body, his violet eyes boring into Ato's while the brunette just smirked. "Double Range! Statue Carver!" Reese swung out his blade again and once again, Atori jumped back to dodge, but even as the tip of the long blade missed him by three inches, a bloody and painful gash still tore across the brunette's abdomen.

Atori fell to his knees, clutching his wound with desperation as he bit back a pained gasp. "What the hell? I dodged it!" he growled.

Reese just smiled wryly. "With my Double Range style, it doesn't matter if you dodge or not. If you're in the path of my blade when it strikes out, you get cut. The only downside is that they are shallow wounds. So, you can get off of the ground you weakling! It's not like I eviscerated you..._yet._"

Atori just laughed, standing back to his feet though he absently stroked his wound. "And you didn't even think to use this little trick when we'd first been fighting?" he asked, laughing again when Reese just glared. "You probably could've beaten me considering I was already having a hard time adjusting to that weapon of yours. A weakling like you probably just likes it when Feruk roughs you up. Huh? Like a little punishment in your life, Reese?"

"Fuck you!" he roared, rushing off the ground to attack.

With Reese's new attack style in mind, Atori made sure to stay out of the way of any slashes, sticking to dodging and sidestepping as opposed to leaping back. And Reese wasn't holding back at all, his slashes whipped out like lightning and Ato could feel the sharp energy rushing out with each dodged swipe of the blade. The long blade swung through with a wide slash meant to cut Atori diagonally, but the brunette ducked the attack at the last second. Reese smiled though, and stepped in with a kick across Ato's jaw that knocked him onto his back.

"It's over!" Reese declared, bringing the long blade high above his head as he readied to cut the brunette in half. And then, he swung down, the blade slicing down for Atori's body. Ato did the only thing he could at that second and brought up both tonfa to catch the blade. Sure enough, the weapons clashed again, but half a second later, a bloody gash cut its way right down the front of his body. The brunette hissed in pain, making Reese smile like a mad man. "Who's the weak one now, Atori? Who's a puppet? Who's a toy? Huh! I'm not weak you self-righteous bastard and don't you ever forget it!" he yelled, panting for breath despite the manic smile on his face.

Ato's tonfa still held the long blade at bay, but below the collided weapons, the brunette was practically covered in blood as his wounds oozed the life fluid. Even his face was splattered with the red fluid. Despite the cut going down his body, Ato still managed to smile, making Reese quirk an eyebrow in confusion. "Feeling like a man yet?" he quirked all of a sudden. Reese was so stunned from the comment that he was left wide open when Atori shot a kick up to his chin that sent him stumbling back in pain. By the time Reese had turned back to Atori, the brunette was already back on his feet, that pleased smile still on his face. "I said do you feel like a man yet? Or do you still feel like speaking that weak nonsense some more?"

Reese watched him for a long moment, a long, long moment. He was almost certain that he was gaping at this point, but still couldn't find his words. "What!" he yelled finally, making Atori burst with laughter. "I nearly cut your face in half and you've got the nerve to get up, asking if I feel like a man yet!" He was panting, his sword resting against the ground as he tried to find his words. "I-I-dammit!"

"C'mon, Reese! Still feel like you've got no say so in your life? Still feel like you're nothing but a tool for Feruk? I want to know! Do you still feel weak?"

"I'M NOT WEAK!" Reese was across the gap of space between them in a heartbeat, his long blade stabbing out to strike Ato right in his mouth. But Atori's was quicker with his tonfa up to block. The violet eyed man was practically foaming at the mouth as he just glowered into Atori's eyes, making Ato smile that much more.

"And what if I told you Feruk was coming this way right now to kill you for letting Ches and I storm into the restaurant?" he barked out tauntingly.

"I'd tell you that I don't give a damn!" Reese emphasized his statement by pressing so much strength behind their clashed weapons that he broke past Atori's defense and forced the brunette stumbling back in shock. "Because I'm not dying tonight!" The violet eyed man was upon Ato before the brunette knew it and he swung around the long blade with blurring speed as it struck right for Atori's neck.

The slash went out so quick that Reese hardly registered what had happened. His anger filled eyes only watched as his blade cut across and when he blinked, he didn't see Atori's head on his shoulders anymore. As if time froze in that very moment, Reese could only stare with horrified eyes as he looked at the empty space that had once been filled with Ato's bloodied face, but now, nothing remained and his heart skipped a beat when he realized that he'd just killed the brunette.

But that was all in a matter of seconds before Atori's head snapped back up onto his shoulders, moving back upright from when it had basically folded back to dodge the blade. It was as if he didn't have any bones in his neck. Reese's eyes shot to the size of dinner plates when he noted how Ato's pupils were now slits, but he wasn't given long in that split second to make any judgments. With one quick blink, Ato's eyes were back to normal and he struck out with a tonfa that cracked Reese across the jaw and sent the swordsman flying back a couple meters before landing in the dirt.

"Help a guy out and he tries to cut your head off," Atori grouched with feigned anger as he carefully rotated his neck, as if trying to realign it with his body. He smirked devilishly when Reese looked over at him with wide and shocked eyes.

"What are you?" the swordsman gaped, not even pulling himself from the ground yet as he looked at Atori

Atori didn't hesitate for a second. "I'm the Serpent Knight," he crooned, smiling when Reese scoffed at his answer. He watched the violet eyed man pull himself from the ground, but noted sadly how he flinched when he tried to put pressure on his wounded leg. "I don't fight cripples, so it looks like your fight is over."

Reese just sent him a scathing glare. "How many times do we have to go over this, _Serpent Knight_? I'm not weak! All that I need is one arm to hold my sword! That's all that I'll ever need to beat you!"

Ato just shrugged. "Well I suggest you make this next attack count. Because after that, I finish it." He fixed Reese with a serious glare, not missing the grimace on the other man's face. Still, they readied themselves – Atori's tonfa braced for attack and Reese's long blade ready to slash Ato apart.

"One move! We end this fight!" Reese called.

Atori nodded and a second passed before they both sprinted for one another, rushing across the gap between them like speeding bullets. Reese swung his long blade around, using his double range style to slice at Ato's body. Just as fast as the violet eyed man, Atori dropped to his knees and folded back to skid under the deadly slash, leaving a shocked Reese as they passed right by one another. Before Reese could even turn back to attack again, Atori leapt back to his feet, flipped his tonfa outward, and spun around with the weapons aimed to crash right into Reese's exposed ribs.

"Hebi Naito!" he called as the weapons struck with a denting slam into Reese's side. The long blade swordsman's eyes nearly bulged from his head on impact and hardly a second later, he was thrown from the ground and sent flying over into the wall of a nearby building.

Atori was already walking over to the violet eyed man when he slumped onto the ground, flinching from the pain reverberating in his ribs. "Guess I win again," Ato called when he came to stand above Reese. The swordsman just glared into the dirt before finally looking up. Atori just smiled at the very angry look on his face. "Can't win 'em all, you know," he chimed happily.

"Fuck. You. Atori," he grouched, letting his head rest against the wall as he locked eyes with Ato. Another few seconds passed before he smiled. "And thanks for the enlightening fight. I suppose two years with Feruk nearly made my will to live burn out, but even with that, he's still my captain. I'm not going anywhere, especially not right now with as badly damaged as I am. I might as well be dead because there's no way he's going to forgive me for losing twice."

"Dammit! I did not just kick your ass to have you spouting this crap again!" Atori growled, aiming a tonfa right down at Reese. The violet eyed man smiled cheerfully and swatted the weapon out of his face, but nodded to appease Atori anyway. Ato just scoffed. "And I wouldn't be so concerned about Feruk. Ralli's ready to breathe fire he's so mad at that freak right now. So, you're in the clear."

"Teko's going to fight the captain!" Reese exclaimed with shocked eyes. "I, that's…I don't even know what to say to that."

Atori turned away from the violet eyed man and looked over at the ruckus-filled restaurant. "Don't say anything, then. Point is, Ralli's going to beat the crap out of Feruk and you'll be free of your captain." He started walking away from Reese, but after taking about seven steps, he paused. On a second thought, he turned back to Reese and added, "And if Ralli weren't going to handle it, just know that I would have."

Not sparing another glance, Ato turned away from Reese, leaving the violet eyed man to stare at him in shock for the umpteenth time that night. Then, finally – with a happy smile on his face, he whispered, "Thanks, Atori."

Reese's words went unheard by the brunette as he casually walked on over to Mira's Cabin. Even from outside, he could tell the place was a wreck from all of the fighting going on within. Just as he was ready to step through the western doors, a body came flying out and he nearly avoided being hit with said body by sidestepping it. Ato was shocked to see that the person was Kyler, and the blonde looked like he'd been on the wrong side of a beating.

"Crap that hurt!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head gingerly before he finally took note of a confused Atori standing above him. "Oh hey! It's you, from earlier today!" he said with a smile. Ato extended a hand to help the guy up, and immediately Kyler took in the rather bloody mess on the brunette. "You look like hell."

Ato looked over himself and just now realized exactly how stained he actually was from the blood. "Ches would have a heart attack if he saw me like this," he muttered and before he could think of what to do next, Eric barged his way through the doors and tackled Kyler to the ground, striking the helpless blonde across the face with a few brutal punches. "Back off!" Atori growled and lazily swung a tonfa around to smack Eric in the back of the head.

Surprisingly, Eric hardly seemed to register the strike. Instead, the pirate stopped pummeling Kyler and turned to Ato with murderous eyes. Ato just growled and swung another blow at the pirate's skull, and once again, Eric hardly flinched. "What the hell?" the brunette muttered, taking two careful steps back when Eric rose to his feet and pulled out his cutlass.

"Be careful! There's something wrong with these guys. It's like they can't feel pain!" Kyler yelled as he struggled to pull himself to his feet.

"Can't feel pain, huh?" Atori locked eyes with Eric, noting the off way that his visible pupil was dilated and how red the eye looked. If he had to guess, they must've taken some kind of drug. "So the Feruk Pirates have a few tricks up their sleeves, huh?" he said, gaining a sick smile from the pirate.

Before Eric could answer or even attack, a crowd of people rushed from the confines of the Mira's Cabin. Gunshots were going off like crazy as Ches, Gevin, Yevin, and even Taya's Dad bolted from the restaurant, obviously to evade the bullets. Half a second later, more of the Feruk pirates piled out with a devilish looking Juno leading the hoard. The pirate held a den den mushi in his hand and was nodding in kind to whatever the snail was spouting.

"No worries, cap'n! We ran into some unexpected trouble over here, but we've got it completely under control. We'll have these little upstarts dead before ya know it and the girl's family 'ill be next on the list!" he crooned with a manic smile before more nodding to whatever the snail was saying while the whole area seemed at a standstill to see what was to happen next. "I'll have it done, Cap'n Feruk!" With that, the snail in Juno's hands went back to sleep and the pirate carefully placed in back into his bag. He looked over all of them with analyzing eyes. "The cap'n wants us back at the Superdome in fifteen minutes!" he finally said and pulled his dagger back out. "And we won't be keepin him waiting! Five minutes is all we need to finish these little sprouts, men! So kill 'em dead and then it's off to the Superdome to watch the little lass die!"

"Die?!" Gevin and Yevin yelled with fear as the entire Feruk Pirates cheered with joy.

"If you hurt a hair on Taya's head, you BASTARDS!" Kyler screamed out before kicking away a few pirates and then suddenly being yanked to the ground by even more.

Meanwhile, Ches aimed an angry leer at Juno while Atori looked over the crew of pirates that suddenly surrounded him, all of them looking bloodthirsty with their red eyes.

Juno cackled like a hyena as his voice boomed through the sky. "Tonight! The Feruk Pirates sail away from Glory Island 100 million beli richer!"

* * *

**Now I honestly think this was my favorite scene out of the whole arc. It had Atori. It had Reese. And it had both of them fighting one another. Call me crazy, but those two were actually the highlight of this arc for me. They're just fun to write. And how Ato kept picking at Reese's manhood? Classic! Speaking of Atori, seems he has a few secrets, but that's nothing that I'm going to talk about now. Maybe in the next arc. Or the next one. Or maybe even the one after that. Nothing is ever as it seems!**

**So, the Feruk Pirates have basically gone crazy on some drugs and can't feel pain. This doesn't sound promising for Ches, Ato, or the fighting cooks. But where there's a will, there's a way! Go get'em guys!**

**Check back next time!**


	17. Defeat the Feruk Pirates!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Time's Running Out! Defeat the Feruk Pirates!"**

"Five minutes, men!" Juno called into the night, his voice bouncing around the street as the Feruk Pirates turned bloodthirsty upon the command. The lazy pirate had his dagger in one hand and the other poised to pull more of those destructive bombs from his sack. He looked everyone over, his eyes watching Atori and Ches especially close. "Five minutes 'til the end!"

"YEAH!" the rowdy pirates called in return as they turned back to their immediate battles. The Feruk Pirates didn't waste a second before diving in for the fight. Taya's family were fighting with all that they had against the massive crowd, but being outnumbered mixed with the pirates' drugs was proving to be more than the cooks could handle.

Meanwhile, Ches was dodging around a crew of the pirates. He had done away with his knives at this point, seeing that they wouldn't do much to slow down the pirates thanks to the fact that they couldn't feel pain. The rainbow suddenly ducked under a sword swipe before spinning to the pirate with a roundhouse kick at their head. The pirate didn't even register the pain.

"Dammit to hell!" Ches growled out before dodging back from another swipe of the pirate's sword, but suddenly being caught in a full nelson of another pirate. His eyes sprouting wide with shock, Ches writhed and struggled in the hold, even going so far as to throw a kick below the belt to free himself from the stronghold but he was stuck and the pirate wasn't feeling a thing. He hissed with anger from the hold and turned back to the sword-wielding pirate with frightened eyes.

The pirate swung in with the blade, ready to cut Ches's chest wide open. However, at the absolute last second, Atori swooped in from out of nowhere with a rapid swing of his tonfa that shattered the man's sword on impact. While the pirate looked at his destroyed weapon in shock, Atori spun on his heel and swung out the tonfa with a brutal impact across the pirate's face that sent him flying several feet back. Ato hardly gave the pirate another thought before turning to the one holding Ches and taking him out with another brutal strike.

But all of that was missed on Ches's part as he only saw red, a dark red and dried fluid practically covering the entirety of Ato's body. "You…you're cov-covered in…" he gasped out as his eyes went wide with the sight. He couldn't even finish the sentence as he gaped like a frightened child.

Ato scowled deeply before turning to take out two more pirates with his tonfa. He turned back to Ches, lifting the rainbow's head so that they were looking right into each other's eyes. "Ches!" he yelled, glaring as deeply into the navigator's eyes as possible to bring Ches out of his daze. "Ches, look at me! Look into my eyes and only my eyes!" A quick slap came across the rainbow's face that knocked the glazed over look out of his eyes. Ches blinked a few times – trying his hardest to focus in on Ato's green orbs instead of the red stains on his face . "Taya's in trouble!" Atori barked out before Ches could speak. "She's in trouble and we have to save her! Remember that! Don't let this crutch hold you back. We've got each other's backs, right!"

"R-right," he replied, not at all sounding convincing, and kept his eyes locked with Atori's to keep from looking anywhere else.

Atori just sighed. "We don't have time for this, Ches. Look, these bastards might not be able to feel pain, but that doesn't mean their bodies don't react to being struck. I can hit 'em hard enough to knock them out, but I can't focus on that if I have to keep checking on you. Taya's family is struggling right now, but holding their own. So I need you to do the same, Ches." Ches nodded noncommittally. "They want to take us out in less than five minutes? I'll have 'em down in three! Just keep your wits until then, okay!" Another half-concerned nod from the rainbow. Ato just hissed beneath his breath and struck back out into the crowd, cracking more of the pirates over the skulls and zipping around people like a deadly serpent.

Ches was left standing still as stone in his spot as the chaos erupted around him, his eyes looking frantic as he watched the ground and tried to calm himself. "Do it for Taya! Do it for Ralli! Do it for Atori!" he was chanting beneath his breath. "You can do this! It's nothing!"

"You're nothing, mate." The voice came so unexpectedly that it worked to pull Ches from his frantic state. His head shot up and turned in the direction. He'd hardly turned completely before he caught the glimmer of a blade and leapt back to keep from getting stabbed. Still, he managed to get a nasty gash on his shoulder for his troubles and he was greeted with a lazy sneer from Juno.

"You look troubled," the pirate called out and straightened up into a lazy slouch as he aimed the dagger for Ches again. "No worries, though. Dead men ain't got no cares!" Juno laughed lazily and took a step forward.

Finally having regained his composure, Ches pulled two shuriken knives from his pocket and met Juno's dagger head on. He brought around the other knife to strike and Juno easily dodged it by moving back. With a chuckle, Juno reached into his sack and pulled out two small red balls. Ches wasn't given a moment to ponder what they could've been before Juno rushed back over with another stab of his dagger. Ches dodged the stabbing strike and moved aside when Juno tried to slash at him again.

"Quick on yer feet, mate!" the pirate crooned before holding out one of the red marbles. "Let's try this, though." Juno tossed the ball at Ches, and on instinct, the navigator moved aside just as the ball touched the ground.

Instantly, the space around Ches roared into a fiery explosion. The rainbow was blown off of his feet from the proximity of the impact and was thrown to the ground, coughing up some of the dirt and smoke that had managed to fly into his mouth during the detonation. "The hell was that!" he wheezed out in pain as he tried to push himself up.

"Not so fast!" Juno exclaimed, moving over to Ches in a heartbeat and striking the rainbow in the gut with a brutal kick. Ches flipped onto his stomach from the kick and groaned out in pain while Juno laughed lazily. "I like to the call that my Blast Ball!" he crooned with the happiness of a kid showing a perfect report card to their parent. "Back in the restaurant, you experienced my Smoke Ball and then my special 'Invincible Ball' was used on the crew. They're a part of a collection of specialized balls with all kinds of effects. I'm the only pirate on the West Blue with that kind of technology, mate!" He grinned wide at that last part, but it faltered ever so slightly when he glanced up to see Atori take out the thirteenth pirate since going on the attack. Juno's eyes cut back to Ches with anger. "Care to experience another Blast Ball?"

Juno held out the other red orb expectantly while Ches's eyes widened with alertness. The pirate cackled and leapt back as he lazily dropped the destructive ball. Ches ignored whatever pain was racking his body and rolled onto his hands and knees to run away. But the rainbow hardly got a good headstart before the ball touched the ground and once again, he was caught in the blast radius. The explosion this time caught the navigator's back side and he was taken off his feet again before landing on his face a few feet away.

However, the second he heard incoming footsteps, Ches rolled onto his back and yanked out a knife to throw right in Juno's face. Ches moved quickly and had already had the knife out to throw, but Juno now had a blue orb in his hands. "Chilly Ball!" the pirate called and threw down the orb just as Ches was about the throw his knife.

The Chilly Ball struck in a cloud of ice and when it faded, Ches was shocked to see that his hand holding the knife was incased in ice. "Oh no!" he cried out and tried to break the ice open over the ground, but he only succeeded in chipping away a few pieces of the large encasing.

Juno laughed out again. "Yeah, it's pretty solid, mate. You gotta hit it much harder than that. Try a hit like this!" Juno stepped over with a kick across Ches's face that made the rainbow roll across the ground and spit blood when he finally stopped. Meanwhile, Juno was still laughing. "Now then," he said after a moment and looked over the crowd at Atori, who was taking down his twentieth pirate. "…for that one." Juno pulled three Chilly Balls from his sack and narrowed his eyes on Atori's legs as the quick brunette dodged around the crowd.

"Ato! Watch out for Juno!" Ches called out, already following where the pirate was going.

The unexpected call made Ato pause for all a second to see what Ches had meant, which was perfect for Juno. "Perfect!" Juno called and threw out the balls. "Chilly Ball Tundra!"

Atori's eyes widened as he watched the seemingly harmless balls head his way. By the time he thought about moving, it was too late. The balls struck the ground around Ato's feet in a cloud of ice and when it wafted away, everything from Ato's knees down was frozen in a block of ice. "The hell is this!" he cried and tried to wiggle free.

"It be yer containment, mate!" Juno called with a smug smile.

Atori glared up at the pirate for a moment before smiling himself. "Alright, I'll admit it now. You Feruk Pirates are a bit more interesting than most. This makes beating you all that much more fun for me!" Juno cocked a disbelieving eyebrow and folded his arms to gaze over. Atori shrugged. "The ice trick is nice, but it's only ice." He'd already been winding up his right tonfa for the attack and as soon as he spoke, Ato sent the weapon for the block, ready to blow it wide open from one strike. However, the impact wasn't enough. He only managed to knock off a big chuck of the ice instead, earning an angered sneer from the brunette.

"Nice try, mate. I'm impressed," Juno crooned happily. "Most people can't knock that much off with just one hit. You know, we might be able to make room for you on our crew if you decide to help take out the rest of these cooks. As you can see," he threw a thumb back to where Reese was slumped against the wall and watching the fight, "we're in need of some new talent."

"I'd rather die," was Ato's immediate response before ignoring Juno and slamming another strike into the ice and knocking away another huge chunk.

Juno just shrugged lazily. "At your wish," he said behind a lazy chuckle and pulled a Blast Ball from his sack. Ato looked up to see the ball that he had been pulled, and even the brazen brunette cringed in expectation of what that could be now that he was trapped. However, just as the red orb left Juno's hands, Ches moved in the balls direction, diving in the way just as it was ready to strike Atori.

The Blast Ball detonated right in Ches's face, the explosion having enough power behind it to blow the rainbow right down to Ato's feet. "Ches!" Ato had yelled out in shock as the rainbow lied unmoving at his frozen feet.

Juno just barked out a roar of laughter. "How sweet was that? Willing to die just to save his friend? Poor sap! Now I feel disgusted for offering him a position on the crew earlier, even if I hadn't meant it."

Atori snapped an enraged glare back up at Juno, his green eyes practically snapping forward like venomous snakes to strike at the lazy pirate. Juno flinched ever so slightly at the steely gaze, but shrugged it away with a lazy smirk and pulled another Blast Ball from his bag with his right hand. "Those are some intimidating eyes, mate. Maybe after I kill ya, I can take 'em out your head and put 'em in mine. They belong in the head of a true pirate."

Ato opened his mouth to cut Juno up with a razor sharp tongue lashing, but he paused when he caught a glimmer of something shiny whipping through the air. He focused in on the spinning object that seemed to be moving closer and closer for Juno's back, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw that it was a shuriken knife. "You sneak," he muttered out under his breath with a smile and looked down at Ches, who still hadn't budged.

Juno sneered at Ato's smile and lifted the Blast Ball to toss out again. However, just before he could throw it, the knife slammed into his right shoulder. The lazy pirate didn't register the pain at all, but the knife managed to strike a muscle, a muscle that rippled down the arm and made Juno's hand flinch. And that singular flinching moment was all Juno needed to drop the ball from his hand. Before the lazy pirate could decide on trying to catch the ball or run away, the Blast Ball struck the ground right at his feet and Juno was blown away by the explosion.

"Finally," Ches said, sitting up like a zombie out of its grave and looking over at where the explosion had gone off. He got back to his feet and squeezed at his now freed hand, having used it to take the brunt of the explosion earlier and break away the ice.

Atori just smiled wickedly. "You threw out that knife earlier before you moved in the way of that ball, the ball that you used to blast away the ice on your hand, didn't you? That was pretty smart of you, Ches," he exclaimed, but Ches wouldn't turn to face him. He'd just nod his head. "But how'd you know that he was going to throw one of those balls at that exact moment when the knife struck?"

"I didn't," was Ches's instant reply. "I'm pretty precise when it comes to my throwing, but I'm not good enough to know exactly where in the body my knives will strike. He obviously can't feel pain, so I'm guessing my knife must've struck a nerve or something to make him drop the ball. Really, all that I wanted was for my knife to bury into his shoulder. That's why I stayed still. I figured he wouldn't really have an excuse to move with you trapped and me 'supposedly' dead." Ches just shrugged like it was no big deal, yet he still didn't turn in Atori's direction.

Ato shrugged himself before scowling down at the ice holding his legs. "I'm tired of this!" he growled out and locked his eyes on the ice. "Pivotal Point!" he called, driving both tonfa down into the ice at precise points. A second later, the ice broke apart into shards around Atori's feet. He nodded happily and then looked back to Ches, and still the rainbow wasn't looking his way. "Ches, is there something –,"

"Right now, Ato!" Ches yelled over Atori's words. "I have a picture of you in my head, a picture of you healthy, clean, and scowling like you always are. And I can't let any other image into my head while we're fighting, so excuse me if I don't look your way."

Ato nodded thoughtfully to the answer and didn't say another word. "Back to the fight, I suppose," he said, turning to walk away.

"Not so fast!" Titan called out, appearing out of nowhere. Atori only had a moment to be surprised before the large brute of a pirate slammed a brutal punch across the brunette's face that sent him flying over the area and bouncing off of the ground a couple times before settling far to the side.

"Ato!" Ches yelled out, but before he could even think of running to check on his friend, he felt cold steel at the side of his head and heard the unmistakable sound of the hammer of a gun being pulled back and readied to fire.

"Worry 'bout yourself, boy-o!" Niles crooned with the gun placed at Ches's side.

The knife thrower scowled and turned to the gun, then looked around it to glare at the ever drunken Niles. Beyond Niles, Ches's heart sank when he saw that all of Taya's family was detained once again, either of them restrained with some form of weapon pressed near their person to get them to comply. Ches heard a strangled grunt and then turned back to see Eric with his boot on Atori's spine and his cutlass at the brunette's throat.

They were caught.

"Things aren't looking well, gaido-san," a voice called from above and Ches's eyes widened with shock because only one person has ever referred to him as _gaido-san_. Sure enough, when Ches turned to the voice, he found Mary sitting atop Mira's Cabin, casually watching from her perch as everyone was detained by the pirates. Her legs were swinging daintily as she petted Elie on her shoulder. "You all seemed to have been doing so well at first, too. Would you like some assistance?"

"Who the fuck is that up there!" Gooma roared out, the fat pirate turning a gun up at Mary as she gained the attentions of everyone in the street.

"You'd better get loss, missy! We'd hate to have to kill such a beautiful thing as you!" Eric called out with an alluring smile.

"Mary, please! Get out of here!" Ches yelled out, but was silenced when Niles cracked the gun on the back of his head. He fell to the ground in pain and looked up in shock when he heard a gunshot fire. "Mary!" he screamed out when he saw the woman throw her head back, her hair dancing wildly from the movement as though she'd been shot in the head.

The sound of the gunshot reverberated around the area like an echo, and Ches could only watch in horror as Mary's head was thrown back from the impact.

"No," he hissed out with wide eyes.

But instead of the girl's body going flaccid or falling over like one would usually expect, her spine stayed straight and her head kept looking up until she dropped back down to look over the audience. "I detest guns!" she declared, her face looking borderline angry. "And your aim is atrocious," she added, her eyes leveling on Pippy, who looked shocked to see the girl still alive.

"Mary! Get the hell out of here!" Atori yelled out from under Eric's boot as he glared up at her.

But the naturist remained, her presence as regal as a goddess's looking over her people. "I shall not leave, heikin-san. These are the men threatening twin sister's life. I could never forgive myself if I did nothing," she demanded.

"Oh yeah, beauty?" Juno called out as he stepped back over. The knife was still in his back, but he'd obviously recovered from the explosion moments ago. He laughed out loud a bit and looked over his crew. "What will one woman do against an entire crew of pirates, eh?"

Mary returned his smile and casually reached over to stroke Elie on her shoulder. "Do not judge power by gender," she said politely and aimed a deadly, ice cold glare on Juno that made even Atori shrink back to see. "That can be a very fatal mistake."

Juno laughed again. "We'll see about that, beauty! Men, take aim!" On cue, all of the pirates pointed their guns up at Mary, but still the woman looked far from concerned. "And fire!"

Mary finished stroking her flower, calling out, "Devour!"

Before any of the Feruk Pirates could completely pull their triggers, the ground below each of their feet turned to mush and they were all sucked into the ground, shocking Ches, Atori, and Taya's family as they watched. Their weapons forgotten, the pirates struggled, screamed, and yelled for dear mercy as they were pulled into the quicksand like ground. Not even ten whole seconds later, all that remained above surface of the Feruk Pirates was Juno and Reese while the rest were firmly below the now normal-looking ground.

And still, everyone was speechless.

"I warned you," Mary declared from her spot, breaking the silence of the area. "Now, you shall face the same fate as your comrades." She reached up to stroke Elie again, but before she could, Juno yelled out in anger.

"You stupid bitch!" he cried out. "Do you know what you've done! That's the crew! Our crew! FERUK'S CREW!" Juno looked far from lazy now. He looked on the verge of a breakdown as he stumbled about, so blinded by anger that he didn't know what to do. "I'll die for this! Feruk's going to kill me when he finds out about this!"

"And yet you still choose to follow a man like that," Atori yelled out, breaking Juno from his frantic anger as he walked closer. "How can you follow someone like that? Whose punishments consist of death or torture for the simplest of mistakes?"

Juno looked at Ato like he wasn't even a human. "You idiot! You'd never understand! I'm not even going to waste my breath!"

"Then don't!" Kyler growled out as he and his family walked closer to join Ato and Ches. "Just get lost! We've got more important things to deal with than you!"

Now it was Kyler's turn to get the crazy eye. "You people all think you've got it in the bag, don'tcha! This is Madhouse Feruk we're talking about here! He gets what he wants and goes to any means to get it! Beating me won't end it. No no no! Because you'll never beat someone like him! He'll kill all of ya and then come for me, but I won't let that happen!" Juno reached into his sack and pulled out eight Blast balls, holding four for each hand. Ches and Atori immediately flinched back from what was sure to happen next and Taya's family seemed braced for what was next to come. "It won't happen because I won't fail! I'll kill all of ya before I just let it end like that!

"WE'LL ALL DIE TOGETHER!" he screamed out like a mad man and took a step towards them. "BLAST BALL: KAMIKAZE!" Everyone readied themselves to run away from the mad man while Juno looked ready to squeeze down his hand on all eight balls to take them all out.

But before he could fully squeeze them or even take three good steps toward the crew, he froze in place. His body twitched and he growled out as he looked to be struggling to move. "What's…going…on?" he hissed, trying desperately to move, but failing horribly.

Everyone else looked just as confused as the bomber, but Ches smiled proudly. "What's going on, is that the poison has finally kicked in!" he proudly proclaimed.

"Poishin?" Juno called in shock, hardly able to move his lips at this point.

Ches pointed to the knife in Juno's back. "Yes, Juno. Poison. I'd tell you to turn and look, but I'm pretty your motor functions have just about completely abandoned you at this point. You can think of it like this: You're basically a dead person whose rigor mortis has set in. And it's because that knife right there in your shoulder – the knife that you didn't even feel because of your little drug – is coated in a special poison that affects the muscle system and the fact that it's been left inside your body for so long is why you can no longer move. Typically, just one slice is enough to deaden the movement of a particular limb, but leaving the poison in – such as with you – can lead to, well, this happening." Ches waved to Juno's completely rigid body with pride. "And since you can't pull the knife out, you can expect to be stuck like that for the next couple of hours, which means this fight is over!"

Atori laughed out like a hyena. Even Taya's family seemed impressed with Ches's strategic skill. "Almost had us there for a moment, Juno. Oh well!" Atori walked over to the frozen man, laughing again as Juno could only really move his eyes and glare with utter hatred. "Tonight, the Feruk Pirates lose!"

Only mumbled, incoherent grunts of anger could come from Juno's mouth, but anyone with a brain could tell that whatever the bomber had to say, certainly wasn't nice. Atori just laughed again and walked on passed Juno, Taya's family and Ches following. But then, he paused and turned with a smile. "By the way, thanks Ma-_ry?"_ He turned to thank the naturist, but was stunned silent to see that she had disappeared. "Hmm, she's gone."

"Excuse me for being rude, but shouldn't we get moving!" Kyler demanded, tapping hard on Ato's shoulder. The brunette turned to the cook and rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so pushy!" he replied and started running. "Taya's at the Superdome and Ralli's probably already dove in to fight, knowing him." As they ran down the road, Ato couldn't help chancing a glance at Reese, who was still sitting in the very same spot. They locked eyes for the briefest of moments before Reese nodded his head for Ato to continue on and not be concerned about him. And Atori did just that.

"We should still hurry!" Ches demanded as they collectively turned a corner and rushed off. "Feruk is a dangerous person! There's no telling what else he might have up his sleeve!"

"Well, then quit dragging your feet!" Taya's Dad barked out, startling all of them. "I'm an old man, so I can't run as fast! You young boys got more spirit in you. Run as fast as you can, all of you! Save my little girl!" The younger guys didn't even have to consider it for a moment. They were already picking up their pace and bolting through the streets.

"Right!" they all called out into the night.

* * *

Ralli roared out with a primal call when Taya struck the ground again, making many of the audience around him startle back in fear as the boy was on the verge of going full panther and leaping into the pit. But their concerns were pushed far aside as Ralli glared down at the fight. He'd pretty much shredded everything in the area around him to keep from diving in, but clawing cement could only give him so much satisfaction. Right now, he wanted to rip Rotteshigi into ribbons and then carve his name into Feruk's chest so the bastard never forgot their meeting.

Red eye went back to gripping at the railing for dear life, cringing when Taya took another brutal set of hits and was sent back to the ground. This time, she took twice as long to get back to her feet. "Come on!" he growled to himself. "Where are you Ches and Ato!"

"What's wrong, trash? Feeling tired?" Rotteshigi mocked, lazily walking over to where Taya lied face down in the dirt. He stood above her, hands on his hips as he looked down in digust. "Maybe I can get a better fight out of your family when I get done with you. Feruk might've promised not to hurt them, but I didn't!"

This lit a spark in the girl! Taya was off the ground like a bullet. She cracked Rotteshigi's chin with a powerful uppercut and rocked the fishman further with a round of body shots before leaping, spinning in the air, and crashing a thunderous backhand across his jaw that Rotteshigi flying yards away. He struck the dirt with a ripping slide, but soon enough came to a halt and just lied there.

Taya huffed and puffed out of fatigue, exhaustion, and pain as she watched him. Then, her blue eyes cut over to where Feruk stood, still as stone against the wall with that brooding look on his face. "One day, I'm going to kill that bastard for putting me and my family through this hell," she growled beneath her breath.

Feruk scowled at her for a long moment before subtly nodding his head forward. At that same moment, Taya heard incoming footsteps and when she turned to it, she saw an enraged Rotteshigi charging her. "I'll Kill You!" he roared out and launched a boot right into Taya's stomach that blew her across the pit and into the cement wall.

Feruk watched the attack with a deep, deep frown, but was laughing like a maniac on the inside with joy. "Rotteshigi!" he hissed out, just low enough for the fishman to hear. Rotteshigi paused and looked angrily in Feruk's direction. "My crew's on their way, which means the girl's family should be dead right about now. Go ahead and give the girl her first and _final_ KO!"

Rotteshigi grinned like the shark he was and nodded happily before stepping up to the barely recovering Taya. She'd hardly pulled herself from the cement and was struggling to her feet while gasping for air. "It's over, girl!" he hissed below his breath as he readied to finish the fight.

But suddenly, a monstrous roar tore through the Superdome. People gasped and shrieked in fear, and when Rotteshigi looked up, he saw exactly why. His eyes widened in shock as a black panther flew through the air with its claws ready to slash across his face.

"No it's not!" the panther roared out before slicing his claws out for the strike.

* * *

**Oooh! After all that hard work the crew had been doing, and then Mary just waltzes in out of nowhere with a single word and boom! The entire Feruk Pirates are defeated. That's some devil fruit power alright! And what about that Ches action? Hee! I really wanted to give the knife thrower a moment to shine and I think I accomplished that. He may not be the strongest or have the craziest of abilities, but he's smart dammit! And I think it was nice how Ato tried to console the guy, even if it was for just a second. Maybe he just doesn't find Ches as annoying anymore, or at least Ralli has filled that space up quite nicely. Speaking of which, it seems that red eye has taken all that he can and just won't take no more! Go get'em Ralli! Show Feruk who's boss!**

**It's about to go down! See you guys next time for the showdown!**


	18. Comforting Words from Beyond the Grave!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Battle in the Superdome! Comforting Words from Beyond the Grave!"**

"No it's not!" Ralli roared as he flew through the air and swung out a claw for Rotteshigi.

The fishman's eyes widened in shock for a fraction of a second before he ducked out of the way of Ralli's claw. With his attack dodged, Ralli in his full panther form fell onto the ground on all fours and slid a foot or two in the dirt before he turned to Rotteshigi and released another spine-tingling roar. But the fishman seemed unfazed by the roar and instead smirked provokingly at the animal. They held a fierce standoff for a moment – Ralli snarling like he was a rabid animal while Rotteshigi simply watched with that taunting smirk.

Then, finally the announcer spoke. "Whoa! Stop the match! Stop the match!" his distressed voice called from his platform. "We need someone to get this wild animal out of the pit! ASAP!" There were mumbled noises coming from the crowd as they looked on, some of them looking excited to see a "wild animal" against a fishman while others were wondering what crazed spectacle had plagued Fight Night this evening.

But Ralli paid none of it any mind as he focused in on Rotteshigi. In a split second, he shifted to a hybrid state, leaving his claws and fangs intact but pulling back some of the fur on his body. He stood up straight, leveling the fishman with the most intimidating glare he could muster.

Taya's eyes shot to the size of dinner plates when she saw Ralli recede his power. "Ralli, what the hell?" she barked out in shock that soon turned to anger when she realized that he interrupted her fight. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, pussy cat. What are you doing here?" Rotteshigi prodded, smiling wickedly at the stone glare on Ralli's face.

"You jerks are the lowest of the low," he finally said. "You come here rigging fights for your own amusement and then use someone's family as blackmail so that you can pummel them. You're spineless!" He snarled outright at Rotteshigi, wiping the smug look from the fishman's face instantly. "Taya, they never planned on letting your family go and they never planned on letting you leave Fight Night alive, either."

"What?!" Taya all but screamed with anger. Her eyes immediately cut over to Feruk, who was glaring a whole army of daggers at Ralli.

"I guess they thought that they could just get away with ruining a family's life," Ralli hissed, his eyes narrowing in on Rotteshigi. "But not while I'm here! Don't be worried Taya. Ches and Ato are already there, saving your brothers and dad! And as for you." Ralli pointed a clawed finger over to Rotteshigi, who smiled at the threatening gesture. "Your fight is over!" he said finally.

Rotteshigi sneered and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Feruk pushed himself from the wall with a manic fit of laughter. "_Over?_ Over!" the pirate captain called in anger as he stumbled out onto the dirt, holding his side as he nearly kneeled over from the hysterics. But Ralli and Rotteshigi knew well enough to know that Feruk's laughing was not at all a joyous scene. "The only thing _over_ here, is you boy!" Feruk pulled back enough of his laughing to stand still and just look over all of them with that joker smile of his. Then, in an instant, he pulled his gun and had it aimed at Ralli. "I knew I should've killed you last night, but I'll correct that mistake soon enough!"

"Oh my god! He's got a gun!" one of the audience screamed while some of the others simply screamed to the top of their lungs.

"Hey, Brawler! Weapons are NOT allowed in the pit!" the announcer called from his platform. "Did you hear me? You can't have –!" The gun suddenly went off and the announcer nearly had a heart attack when the bullet passed less than an inch away from his face.

Feruk didn't pull his angry eyes from Ralli, but the gun was pulled away from the announcer and was placed back on the boy. "It was your little friends, wasn't it?" he said. "That unexpected trouble that my crew ran into at Mira's Cabin was them? You sent your pathetic excuse for a crew after my men." The snarl on Feruk's face looked that much more menacing with that sick smile that he was incapable of erasing.

Not looking the least bit intimidated to be staring down the barrel of a gun, Ralli spoke. "My friends have gone to Mira's Cabin to set Taya's family free. They'll be back any minute!"

"THEY'RE DEAD, BOY!" Feruk shouted before crumbling into another fit of laughter. "Those fools are dead and it's your fault!" The pirate captain's voice boomed around the Superdome, his manic shouts rushing out with more and more anger. "You ride in here like you're some kind of heroes, here to save the helpless and stop the powerful! I'm not an idiot. I saw how you all looked last night when I was treating MY property as I saw fit! How you all looked like you wanted to just tear me to shreds for every time I stomped on Reese's chest or berated him for being the worthless piece of shit he is!"

"HE'S A PART OF YOUR CREW!" Ralli roared out, yelling to the top of his lungs! "HE'S YOUR FRIEND, NOT YOUR PROPERTY! DON'T YOU GET IT! YOU DON'T YELL AT YOUR CREW! YOU DON'T TREAT THEM AS IF THEY'RE LESS THAN YOU! AND THEY'RE DAMN SURE NOT _YOUR _PROPERTY!"

Feruk just watched Ralli as if the boy had grown a second head, and then he sneered. "What do you know about pirates? What do you know about life on the seas? What do you know about friendships, family, or even commanding a ship? You upstart punk! You don't know a damn thing about the pirate life!" he yelled, aiming his gun right for Ralli's skull to blow the boy's head off at any second. "You disgusting worms want to play pirates? Don't make me laugh!" Contrary to his words, Feruk had indeed started laughing with his hardly contained anger. "A life on the seas isn't a game, you stupid boy! And I'm going to teach you a painful lesson about how the pirate world really works! I'll break that little spirit of yours and then I'm going to BREAK OPEN YOUR SKULL!"

"BRING IT ONNNNNN!" Ralli shouted to the top of his lungs. It sounded more like an animalistic roar than a challenge, but the meaning behind the words still stood. And red eye leveled his now glowing eyes on Feruk with the fury of hell's greatest punishment.

They were all caught in a standstill now. Feruk was hardly containing his livid laughing while his eyes bore into Ralli. Red eye was snarling like an animal, crouched to the ground for quick movement as his red irises sliced Feruk apart. Taya had been following the scene closely, but with Feruk looking ready to attack Ralli at any moment, Rotteshig turned back to her, looking ready to uphold his end of their deal. With that, Taya armed herself to take on the fishman again, except now she wasn't going to be pulling any punches.

Before anyone could make the first move, Grecko came stumbling down the stands, looking a nervous wreck as he ran right up to the railing and leaned over to yell. "FERUK!" his weaselly voice shouted into the den den mushi. His voice amplified through the speaker system of the Superdome as he called out to the pirate. Feruk, unwillingly, moved his eyes from Ralli and glared up at the fight promoter. "What are you doing? This is not what we talked about!"

"Talked about?" Taya questioned aloud as she too looked away from her opponent and glared up to Grecko. "Did you have something to do with this?" she yelled out, not needing a microphone for her voice to carry right over to Grecko and startle the man. "You did, didn't you? Grecko, you damn weasel!" she shouted out of anger.

Grecko flinched away from Taya's voice and looked pleadingly back at Feruk. "Your 'special guest' was supposed to beat her in the fight, Feruk, not cause this much chaos! You've hijacked my show!" he yelled out. "Our deal is off!" Grecko waved a dismissive hand through the air to emphasize the cutting of their agreement, but Feruk looked far from concerned.

Madhouse leered hatefully at Grecko before pointing his gun over at the fight promoter. "My sentiments exactly!" he hissed before firing. Half a second later, a splatter of blood rushed from Grecko's chest and the man collapsed.

The crowd went hysterical. People ran, women screamed, and children cried. No longer did anyone want to attend Fight Night. Every man, woman, and child was out of their seats at that moment and running for exits. Even the announcer was now scrambling to run off from his high perch.

"Even Grecko didn't deserve that, you bastard!" Taya growled out at Feruk.

Still, Madhouse seemed unperturbed. He pointed the gun back in Ralli's direction, with a maddening chuckle. "You caused that too, red eye. Thanks to your little interruption, now I don't get my money willingly. I'll have to burn this entire town to the ground to get my 100 million beli now. Still feeling like the hero?" he crooned maliciously.

Ralli just snarled. "I'm going to shred that stupid smile right off your face!"

"Let's see you try!" he replied before firing the gun right at Ralli.

The gunshot set everything off. Ralli struck out across the dirt to dodge the bullets, running on all fours has he galloped around the pit with Feruk's narrowly-dodged bullets chasing behind him. And while Ralli was busy dodging Feruk's gun, Taya and Rotteshigi were now squared back up, the fishman looking ready to maul Taya to death.

"All bets are off now, trashy little gimp," the fishman mocked with a cackle. "It's just too bad you're all busted up at this point. You actually hit pretty hard for a human wench." His dark eyes raked over all of the bruises and scrapes across Taya's body and how she was having a hard time standing straight. Then, he smiled devilishly. "Maybe if you were at 100% you'd have at least a fighting chance against me."

It was Taya's turn to smile now. "You're right, fish breath, all bets are off." She straightened herself up as much as possible and tugged her mother's fingerless gloves tighter to her hand before clenching a duo of destructive fists and settling into a boxing stance. "I don't have to go easy on you anymore. And believe me, injured or not, this won't take long at all!"

Rotteshigi sprung off the ground with a menacing roar. "I'll make you eat those words!"

Taya didn't even give the fishman time to charge into her zone. No longer having to hold back, she lunged at Rotteshigi before he could process her movement and struck the monster right in the chest with a powerful jab. Rotteshigi's eyes bulged from the pain and the impact was enough to send his body gliding back a few feet. He panted a deep breath, but before he could fully recover, Taya was already in his face again with two quick punches. He acted quickly though and dodged the two punches. Taya scowled at his evasiveness and was left wide open to a rapid knee that shot into her stomach. She cringed from the pain, giving Rotteshigi a moment to smile happily. The fishman sent out another murderous punch for her cheek, but easily enough, Taya evaded the strike and spun with a thunderous backhand to Rotteshigi's jaw that sent the fishman stumbling back.

"What the hell are you?" he growled out, tentatively touching his now gashed cheek. "No human should be this strong. Do you have a devil fruit power?"

Taya shrugged lazily and pushed a hand through her flowing blonde hair. "Does it really matter," she crooned softly. "My tricks are my tricks, fish breath, and just know that I won't need to use them all just to take you out. Now quit stalling, I'm ready to collect my 101st consecutive win."

"Records mean nothing when you're dead, girl," he snarled out gravely.

"Then it won't matter when you lose to this human girl!" she instantly replied and didn't bother listening to the fishman's snide response before sprinting right for him.

She rushed in with a punch. Rotteshigi effortlessly dodged and snatched her extended hand into a tight grip. Even with Taya's strength, she couldn't yank out of the man's hold and was forced to dodge back as he sent a kick for her skull. She managed to avoid the kick, but was yanked right back to Rotteshigi's face when the fishman crashed their heads together. The headbutt didn't faze him a bit, but Taya's head snapped back in pain and he pressed on with a punch to her stomach.

Taya shrunk in from the blow and Rotteshigi took that moment to taunt her further with a malicious cackle. "C'mon, girl! Where's that trash talk at now?" he barked around a razor sharp smile. The girl's body was limp in his arm for all of second before it suddenly became rigid.

"Right Here!" she called out and suddenly slammed a fist right into Rotteshigi's stomach. The fishman gaped in pain as the fist struck, his eyes bulging from his head while Taya just smiled wickedly. "Care for another?" she said tantalizingly and struck again with two more punches that made Rotteshigi curl in on himself that much more.

The grip around Taya's arm was loosened considerably by this point and one tug was all it took to free herself while the fishman stumbled back in pain. She observed his pitiful looking form for a moment, hands of her hips with distaste filling her eyesight. It only took one glance up over at the look on Taya's face to make Rotteshigi go ballistic.

"You DAMNED Girl!" he yelled out and lunged at her, the pain in his abdomen forgotten as he charged.

His fists struck like bullets to take Taya's head off, but her hands didn't leave her hips as she just stood there and dodged around the torrent of fists like it was nothing.

Just then, Atori, Ches, and Taya's brothers were rushing into the stands, after having to fight their way through the stampeded of frightened people. Atori looked down into the pit, now seeing Ralli down there in his panther form and running around Feruk's bullets. And while the brunette was scoping out his captain's ordeal, the cooks were practically foaming at the mouth as they caught a glimpse of Taya down in the pit.

"TAYA!" Yevin shouted out desperately, him and his twin breaking away from the other guys to run right up to the railing.

Not even a full second later, Kyler was at their side with Ches and Atori stepping down behind them. "Dammit!" the blonde growled out as he took in his sister's beaten appearance. "I'm going to skin that fishman bastard alive for this!" he seethed and was already on the verge of leaping the barrier.

But Atori was quick to yank the waiter back. Ignoring the death glare Kyler gave him for being pulled back, Ato walked closer to the railing and smiled distantly as he watched Taya. "Before you can try to kill me, I feel that I should tell you that you were about to haphazardly drop down into a 20-foot deep pit with nothing at all to break your fall. Unless you're some kind of freak of nature, you were sure to hurt yourself jumping in like that."

"I don't give a damn about that! My sister's –!"

"SECONDLY!" Ato began again, silencing Kyler with a cold glare. "If you did more than just scowl with those eyes of yours, you'd notice that this is one fight that Taya doesn't need your help winning."

"Are you kidding me?" Geving yelled out in anger. He took a step around Kyler and looked about ready to punch Atori in the jaw. "That's a fishman down there! There's no way Taya can fight something like that!"

"Don't tell us how to look after our sister!" Yevin's snarl added.

Ato hardly batted an eyelash as he faced down the conjoined fury of all three brothers. He gave a quick glance to Ches, who was standing to the side and watching expectantly, before looking back to the cooks. He finally shrugged. "Guess it is none of my business," he said and turned back to the fights in the pit. Kyler scoffed and was already bracing himself to jump the railing again. "But if it WAS my business," the brunette snatched their attentions again, "I'd say that you need to quit babying a girl that is obviously three times as strong as all of you." Before all three brothers could pummel him, Ato pointed a lazy finger to Taya and Rotteshigi, smiling a bit as he watched the girl dodge the fishman's punches like a pro. "She looks roughed up, sure. But she sustained those injuries trying to make sure that you idiots didn't get killed. Now though, without the threat of losing any of you on the line, she's fighting on level ground with a fishman and, well," he shrugged innocently, "if you ask me, she's not having an issue."

The brothers still looked skeptical, so Ches added, "I'm not sure if you've realized this or not, but Taya has led a double life as Fight Night's champion." That seemed to snag their attentions a bit more. "From all of the hype she's been getting, I dare to say she's hands-down the strongest lady that I've ever met. Just last night, we watched her knock out three sumo wrestlers within ten seconds with only one punch! If that doesn't proclaim strength and skill, I don't know what does." And as an afterthought, he added, "You know, she does all of this to prove that she's strong and that she doesn't need to be coddled. Leaping in to try and save the day would only leave her angry and hurt."

They seemed to mull over the information for a moment. Kyler looked the worst off, biting nervously at his bottom lip, but eventually the blonde stepped away from the railing and just watched. "Fine," he hissed with contempt before looking first to Atori, next to Ches, and then back to the brunette, his blue eyes turning cobalt with restrained anger. "But if you two are wrong, just know that you'll have to answer to me!"

"Us, too!" Yevina and Gevin announced instantly, their glares settled on the pit.

The Battle Bars just shared a glance before smiling and turning back to the fight.

Taya continued dodging around Rotteshigi's storm of punches for another moment before she sighed. Quick as a whip, her hands struck out and caught both of the fishman's bulleting fists. The force behind the impact pushed her back a bit in the dirt, but she held strong as she tightened her grip around the big, webbed like vice grips. Rotteshigi's eyes widened with shock as he tried to yank the fists back, but they were locked into Taya's grip.

"First of all! Your style is so sloppy that it makes me want to gag!" she said, her voice tremoring a bit as she fought desperately to maintain her hold. "You can't just get mad and decided to throw out punches all willy-nilly. There's an art to fighting, dammit!"

Faster than Rotteshigi could follow, Taya used all of her strength to yank the fishman forward and take away his balance. While he stumbled forward, she released his hands and threw out a fist that crashed against Rotteshigi's pointed nose. His head snapped back in pain and Taya grinned profusely.

"Secondly, being of another species doesn't make you dominant!" She pressed on with three thunderous body shots, an uppercut, and a spinning elbow into Rotteshigi's sternum.

He staggered from the blows, his body racked with obvious pain, and his eyes were glazed over as he wobbled back and forth.

"Last but certainly not least," she swooned, watching Rotteshigi's dazed body with a bored expression before sneering. "If you're going to threaten a girl's family!" She reached up, took a firm hold of the fishman's shirt with her hand, and yanked him down. "Make sure she isn't a Twin-Fist boxer, FIRST!" The uppercut slammed into Rotteshigi's jaw with a gunshot of an impact. Blood and spit poured from the fishman's mouth as his body lifted off the ground and crashed yards away, his body still and unmoving.

Taya casually dusted the dirt from her hands as she watched Rotteshigi for a long moment. A snide comment to the surely unconscious fishman was on the tip of her tongue, but before she could say anything, a collection of voices were shouting her name from nearby. She'd been blocking out basically anything else other than Rotteshigi during the fight, but her attention was drawn to the stands where she found her brothers, Ches , and Atori hanging over the railing with happy smiles.

"You're awesome, Taya!" Gevin shouted.

"You hit harder than Kyler!" Yevin crooned.

Kyler rolled his eyes and smiled down anyway, giving her a thumbs up instead of shouting like a fool.

Taya tried her hardest to ignore the tears that threatened to crowd her vision as she watched them standing up there. They were actually cheering her on for once, not pushing her aside to save the day or scolding her for fighting. She actually had her brothers' support for one. Could she have actually found her way outside of their coddling spotlight?

"Taya! Watch out!" Kyler suddenly screamed to the top of his lungs, his abnormally loud voice booming over the superdome like a loud speaker.

His voice snapped Taya out of any thoughts that were ready to muddle her mind and instantly, she snapped over to the side upon hearing charging footsteps. Her blue eyes sprouted wide as they caught the sight of Rotteshigi; the fishman was back on his feet and was charging her like a bull with his mouth wide open and his sharp teeth out for a desperate bite.

"I'll maul you to death, you human trash!" he yelled out, rushing right for the girl with blind rage.

Rotteshigi was hardly four feet away from sinking his teeth in at that point and Taya's mind was a flurry of what to do next. Her time seemed to stop all at once as she found herself moments away from being on the receiving end of a nasty bite and her thoughts were everywhere as she tried to decide what exactly she should do in that singular moment. Rotteshigi was still moving, her brothers were still screaming for her to watch out, and Taya's mind was running like a bullet to decide what to do. But then, with one deep breath, it was like another voice blew away all of those thoughts and one singular thought stood out.

_"__You can do it, sweetie!"_ The words that Taya's mother told her all of the time. Anytime Taya wanted to try learning a new recipe, her mother was there with those words. Anytime Taya wanted to train with her dad or brothers in boxing, her mother was there with those words. There was never a time that Mira had told Taya that she couldn't do anything and even now – somehow, someway – her mother was telling her those words once more. _"You can do it, sweetie!"_

Acting on pure instincts, Taya let herself crouch down just as Rotteshigi's extended mouth reached out to the air above her for a bite. Taya rotated around quickly on her feet just as the fishman's torso was mere inches away from crashing into her. She spun just fast enough to have her elbow swinging back around for Rotteshigi's abdomen, and then she recalled a maneuver that only her mother, Mira, had perfected out of all the boxers in the family. It was a debilitating shot and was absolutely deadly in the hands of a true boxer.

_You can do it, sweetie!_ "Stunner Shot!" Taya yelled out as her elbow collided perfectly under Rotteshigi's ribs, halting the man with the pure force of the strike. But she didn't stop there. She pressed all of her strength into the attack, and inwardly beamed at the denting force that created as she pushed back against him with all of her mighty. "OBLITERATE!" A tremendous force poured through her strike and she heard Rotteshigi yell out in pain as his feet lifted from the ground and he was sent flying across the dirt before crashing into a cement wall.

His body was perfectly planted into the wall, leaving him hovering helplessly as his mouth opened in a gape and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, now surely out of it. Taya straightened up on the dirt, sighing deeply at the wince she'd received in her elbow from the strike. She was far from a master of it, unlike her mom, but still, Taya found it poetic in a sense to use it to end this fight, a fight that finally told her she was ready to set out to sea and conquer her dreams. And right then, her mother's reassuring words were bouncing around in her head with unparalleled strength.

_You can do it, sweetie!_

"I can do it," she said to herself, gazing for a moment at her mother's gloves. "And I will!" With a confident smile, she looked back up at Rotteshigi, who looked in a whole other world as he sat there in the cement. "Thanks for the help, Rotteshigi. I'm finally ready!" she said as if the fishman could offer the smallest of replies. She turned away from him, but then turned back as an idea dawned on her. "Oh! By the way, I'm not sure what I hit…" Rotteshigi chose that exact moment to peel from the wall and fall to the floor like a clump. Taya just casually tossed some hair from her face and walked away, calling out, "But I'm positive that you'll be needing a new one!"

* * *

"That was Mira's favorite move!" Taya's dad announced as he startled the collection of guys at the railing. But he paid their distress no thought as he watched Taya casually walk away from a fight with a fishman as if it was nothing at all. "She really is her mother's daughter." He looked choked up in that moment and all that the others could do was smile fondly.

Then, Kyler's eyes snapped over to Atori. "Okay, so Taya's pretty tough," he grouched out, earning another glare from Ato. "So how do we get down there now!"

Ato really didn't have an answer for that, but was going to give the blonde a snide comment just for his troubles. That is, until Ches spoke up. "Allow me," he simply said before pulling out six of his knives. With utter finesse, the rainbow slung out the knives, letting their spinning actions fly out over the pit. Then, when the boomerang effect took place, the sharp weapons flew back towards them, but instead of coming right back for the group, the knives planted themselves in a neat set of make-shift stairs going down the wall that led safely into the pit. "That should do," he said, looking over the railing and observing how deep they'd gone in. "It should work better than jumping in or trying to find the entrance." He turned back to the group, paling just a bit when he saw that everyone was just staring at him, even Atori, who'd seen the rainbow do that same move before on Kaishi Island. "W-what?"

"Dude! You're awesome!" Gevin finally exclaimed and Yevin was quick to voice his approval as well.

Ches tried his hardest to pretend that he wasn't blushing from the compliment, but it was quite obvious. "U-um, thanks!" He recovered quickly enough and turned to Taya's dad, looking over the man's rather large frame. "Um, but I don't think my knives will be able to, uh, sustain your weight, though." He subtly flinched when the man reached out a hand, but sighed in relief when all the cook did was pat him on the shoulder comfortingly.

"It's fine. We can't all be twigs like all of you," the man joked happily, earning a glare from Atori and Kyler. Then, the two hotheads looked to one another and scoffed when they realized they had the same intense expression on their face.

They were all smiling quite a bit – even if the smiles were on the inside for Ato and Kyler – as they began making their way down the knife stairs. At the same time, Taya was walking towards them with a smile on her face, ready to spout about her win against the fishman. But then, all of their happiness was erased with a blood-chilling and spine-tingling scream that radiated pain.

All heads snapped back out to the pit, where another pained scream tore through the dome. Everyone had been so wrapped up in Taya's fight against Rotteshigi, that no one paid much heed to the battle against Feruk and Ralli. Now, though, all eyes were on the duo, and they were angry and shocked to see Ralli face down in the dirt with Feruk's boot in his back and his left arm wrenched back to inhuman proportions as Feruk twisted the appendage even more, making Ralli yell out in anguish for a third time.

Feruk cackled out a mad man's laugh as all eyes landed on him and the helpless captive below his boot. "What's wrong? Did I just rain on your little parade?" the mad pirate captain called with the sickest and most twisted smile any human being could ever have. He twisted Ralli's arm further, earning another pained yell from the boy as he laughed out loud again. "You miserable fools shouldn't get too comfortable because you'll be under my boot soon enough!"

* * *

**C'mon guys! That was such a rookie mistake! You never celebrate until all of the bad guys are good and finished. XP**

**How about that Taya action! Yes sweetie, you can do it! I thought it was so nice and kind of sad when the words were coming to her. At first, I'd planned on her doing a real big scream to clear her thoughts like when we'd first met her, but this just felt more natural, you know. Reassuring words from a missed mother. *Sigh* Well, Ralli's in trouble now, but that's nothing the red eyed wonder ball can't handle right...right? Well, maybe we'll just have to check on that next time huh?**

**See ya this Wednesday!**


	19. Spurring Words for a True Captain!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Spurring Words for a True Captain! Ralli vs the Madhouse Feruk!"**

"You bastard!" Atori seethed, not even bothering with the stairs as he leapt the railing and dropped down onto the dirt with a grunt. He'd already yanked out both tonfa and was taking slow methodical steps toward the twisted pirate captain.

Taya was seething with anger also, turning her now cobalt eyes on the man that had caused them all so much worry and pain. "Let him go or I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands!" she screamed out, already following Atori's lead in stepping towards the man.

Ches had pulled two knives from his jacket, ready to slinging them out in hopes of striking Feruk. And even the cooks looked sparked with rage as they watched the twisted scowl on Madhouse's face, indicating that he was indeed enjoying the tortured screams he was practically yanking from Ralli's mouth.

Another heart-wrenching yell came from Ralli as Feruk twisted the arm further, the man's eyebrow lifting suggestively with every step Taya and Ato took. It didn't take the two too many steps to get the hint. Feruk cackled again as he watched the helpless glances they shared and then looked down to where Ralli – fanged teeth and a soft layer of black fur covered his face – was turning red with anger and pain as he tried desperately to find a way out of the pirate captain's clutches. "Unless you all want to test just how flexible this little punk is," Feruk applied a small amount of pressure on the grip, loving the pained whine that came from Ralli's mouth in the moment. "I wouldn't take any more steps toward me."

Atori spat with disgust. "You sniveling cockroach! You try to talk and look all tough, but now you've resorted to taking hostages to save your ass? You disgust me!" He leveled Madhouse with a glare of scalding fury, making Feruk sneer in his weird facial way.

"Say what you want, punk," the pirate captain spat in return. "But a true man goes to any lengths to do what he needs to. If that means taking a hostage to spare myself from fighting seven opponents at once, then I take a hostage. And if that means I make this boy squeal like a pig to get you all to back the fuck up!" On cue, Feruk squeezed again at Ralli's arm, the now purpling appendage stretched to its limit. Ralli yelled out again, and it took all that Atori could, not to run right over there and beat Feruk to within an inch of his life. "Then, I make him squeal!" He cackled again before sobering a touch and locking eyes with Atori again. "So, you're the one that defeated Reese the previous night, huh?"

Ato didn't do anything but glare at the man.

Feruk just frowned evilly. "Of course you are. Out of everyone here, you look the most bloodthirsty!" he crooned. "And since I know that my crew is far too frightened of me to let you all just leave, I'm guessing that they're dead right now. Otherwise, they'd have no reason to let you all go." Still no answers and still he pressed on. "Well, I'm willing to bet that you're the one that beat them, or at the very least took out Juno." Feruk nodded in Atori's direction, but still the brunette remained mute. "You're just the kind of man that I could use, you know. I'll tell you what. You want your friend here to live, how about you take them out?" A finger pointed over to Taya and her brothers that had descended the stairs.

She seemed surprise by the request and even Atori raised an eyebrow in question. "Why?" he finally asked.

The cackle that broke from Feruk's mouth at the moment would've made a lesser man void his bowel. Nevertheless, Madhouse called out with a laugh filled with pure malice and evil before he locked eyes with Atori again, his dark orbs manic. He stomped brutally hard on Ralli's spine and tugged even harder on the arm, earning yet another yell from Ralli. "Because if you don't, I'll rip this punk's arm right off his body and then use it as a bat to break open your skulls! That good enough reason, tough guy?" he called with another maniac laugh.

A beat passed where Atori and Feruk were just glaring one another down and then Feruk yelled out for an answer, pressing further against Ralli's already pained arm. "I Said Do It!" he declared.

But Atori's face contorted into pure rage, an anger written over his face that was saved for the sickest of men – like the very men he hoped to find on the Grand Line. "NO!" he yelled out to the top of his lungs, shocking everyone. Even Feruk seemed taken aback by the defiance. The brunette didn't stop there, though. He shook his head from side to side with aggravation, yelling, "This is not what I signed up for, Ralli! You're MY captain! I don't save you from harm, dammit! You save me! You said that you'd help me get back my brother, but how the hell are you going to help me save Dallis when you can't even save yourself!" The words built up to louder and louder portions until Atori was screaming to the top of his lungs, making everyone watch him as if he were crazy. Ralli completely stopped trying to break Feruk's grip at this point and was looking over at Atori with wide and shocked eyes.

Back in the stands, Ches was gripping the railing so tight that his knuckles turned white. "Atori…" he hissed out as he tried to desperately piece together what was happening.

"You said you wanted me on your crew!" Atori continued, not at all caring how selfish he sounded. Ralli needed the motivation at this most delicate of moments. "But if I have to help…if I have to save you Ralli," his voice was as gravely serious and he meant every word of what he was about to say, "if I have to step in, Ralli, then I'm done with you!"

The words were like a slap across the boy's face and Ralli was too stupefied to move as he looked over at the serious expression on Atori's face.

"I didn't join this crew to have to carry your weight or anyone else's!" the brunette shouted. "I joined to save my brother and I can't do that if I have to worry about saving you or anyone else at any turn. I won't stand for it! So, if you want me to stay on your crew, then you'll get your face out of the dirt and beat the fuck out of this bastard right here!" He pointed a determined finger at Feruk, breaking the captain's shock and making the man grimace with glee. "Get up, Ralli! GET UP!"

Atori's words bounced around the Superdome, seeming to gain more power as they echoed out into the area. And when they'd finally fizzeled away, he was just standing there, huffing and puffing from the declaration as he locked eyes with Ralli. Red eye looked just as worn from the scene, but inexplicably, those red irises of his seemed to flare with new life as he looked into Atori's eyes.

Meanwhile, Feruk burst with another malicious cackle. "You really are cruel!" he crooned with morbid glee. "Yes! You must join me, boy! I'll break that spirit of yours and love every shred of dignity I rip from your defiant body!"

Atori sneered with disgust at how the man spoke, but whatever words he was ready to speak were drowned out when a guttural roar ripped through the area. All eyes were drawn back to Feruk's boot, watching as Ralli's entire body was now wrapped in black fur, showing that the boy had once again gone full panther. While Feruk seemed to flinch with shock, Ralli turned his head, using his feline body structure to turn his neck just enough so that he could strike out his powerful jaws for a devastating bite around the pirate captain's boot. Even with the thickness of the boot, Ralli's teeth still managed to pierce skin and Feruk shrieked in pain as he tried to back away from the wild animal with a strong hold around his leg. Ralli's arm was released from the grip now as Feruk writhed, but the panther could hardly hold his balance correctly on one arm. So when Feruk kicked at him furiously, it didn't take too much to throw red eye off of his boot. Ralli rolled desperately across the dirt, using the momentum to roll a comfortable distance away from Feruk before pushing back to his feet.

He was panting for dear life as he leveled a hateful glare on Feruk and then winced when he tried to move his damaged arm. Still, it could be moved and that was enough for now. With a deep sigh, he straightened up, keeping his eyes trained on Feruk at all times.

The pirate captain was standing a few yards away and was gripping at his leg with annoyance and anger, all of those emotions showing awkwardly on the man's face. He looked like he was ready to snap Ralli's neck and honestly, Ralli could reciprocate that offer happily at the moment.

"Atori!" he growled out. The tone in his voice and the fact that he'd used Ato's actual name for the first time since they'd met was enough to make the brunette give Ralli his full attention. Not needing to look away from Feruk, Ralli simply said, "You're not going anywhere. You're a part of my crew and you'd have to kill me before I ever let you go. Got that?"

Atori just smirked. "Aye aye, captain!"

"How adorable?" Feruk snarled, standing back upright himself as he glared down at Ralli. Everyone else was completely forgotten as he focused in on red eye, his brain practically being mesmerized by the hypnotic red orbs. "What's your name, boy?" he finally said, after what felt like a lifetime of glaring.

"Teko C. Ralli, you jerk! And don't you dare forget it because I'm going to be the next King of the Pirates!" Ralli proclaimed proudly, not even blinking as he held Feruk's glare.

That revelation, though, seemed to shake whatever confidence that Madhouse had in winning the fight. His eyes bucked with surprise upon hear Ralli's name, not even paying any heed to his desire to be pirate king. "T-teko?" he startled out as if he was now staring down the barrel of a deadly gun. It took a very stern shake of his head to release whatever thoughts had been plaguing him, and then he was back to snarling. "Doesn't matter what putrid blood runs through your veins," he hissed as his hands reached into the inner pockets of his coat. When they came back into sight, they glinted with the light of Superdome as the rays reflected the set of brass knuckles he wore. "It doesn't matter because I'm going to erase your face…punch…by…punch!"

Ralli didn't take half a second to reply. His claws sprouted from his fingers, his fangs were sharp in his mouth, and black fur was thickening across his face. Standing in his hybrid form, he glared down Feruk with deadly, red eyes. "Try it!" he growled out with a menacing purr.

Feruk didn't waste a second before sprinting for Ralli at that moment. Red eye took his eyes off of the incoming opponent for just long enough to lock eyes with Atori, making sure to covey his seriousness in this fight. This was one that he would fight alone. No matter what! Atori nodded in silent reply and took a few steps back. Just then, Feruk was in red eye's face with a fist raised for impact.

Ralli easily sidestepped the brass punch and swung around at Madhouse with a slash of his claws. Feruk dodged back to avoid the first two slashes and when Ralli sprung at him with another snarling slash, the pirate captain sneered before thrusting a big boot into the boy's stomach. The force behind the kick was enough to send Ralli falling back onto the ground, but he didn't stay down long. Hearing Feruk's incoming footsteps, Ralli instinctively moved out of the way just before a fist crashed into the dirt. Once he'd placed a decent amount of space between him and Feruk, Ralli rolled onto his hands and knees, lowering himself to the ground to watch Feruk, but his eyes sparked for a moment out of shock when he saw the hole Madhouse had made with his punch.

Feruk easily followed Ralli's surprised glance and cackled psychotically. "That's going to be your face soon, punk!" he said before rushing in once more with a brass knuckled fist ready to strike.

Ralli growled angrily and sped at Feruk as well, his claws raised and ready.

"Rabid Claw!" Ralli shouted and struck out a clawed hand.

At the same time, Feruk struck out with a fist, calling, "Madhouse Thrasher!"

The weapons slammed across one another with a clanging impact, slight sparks shooting out as Ralli's claws slashed across the brass. Both pirate captains growled out with anger, locking eyes for the briefest of moments, before striking back out with their other hands. Claws met brass knuckles again with another clang and then both fighters just began throwing out attacks like there was no tomorrow, leaving their strikes to crack across one another with sharp clangs. However, for every strike he took with his injured arm, Ralli cringed from the pain shooting up the appendage and soon enough, he was forced to take a step back when Feruk's superior strength began to overpower him.

Meanwhile, Taya was standing by and on the verge of breaking her teeth with how hard she was clenching them. It was obvious that Ralli was straining his bad arm and it was showing perfectly, so it would only be a matter of time before a dirty fighter like Feruk took advantage of it. Then, angry eyes turned to Atori, who was just standing idly by as he watched his captain fight. Not even caring for the concerned glances her brothers gave her, she stomped right up to the brunette.

Atori had just a second to cut his eyes over to Taya before she snatched him up by the hem of his shirt and pulled the taller man down to her angry eyes. "What the hell's your problem?" she barked right into his face. "Don't you see that he's hurt! Do something to help!"

The brunette watched her with a bored expression and yanked himself out of Taya's grasp. "I already told Ralli that if I had to help, he'd be looking for another first mate. I stand by my words," he replied casually and turned away from Taya to signify the end of their conversation.

But Taya was far from done. "What kind of crap is that? He's hurt, idiot! What kind of first mate leaves their captain out to dry like that!" she yelled.

Just then, there was another clang of Ralli and Feruk's fighting before Ralli hissed out in pain. They turned back to see the boy cringing from the pain shooting up his arm while Feruk cackled maliciously. The maniac captain watched Ralli's pained expression before feigning a punch for red eye's face. Ralli fell for the bluff and was left wide open when Feruk crashed a brass knuckled fist into his injured arm. Red eye flinched back in pain and Feruk rocked him with a vicious punch across the jaw before catching him by the throat, lifting him from the ground a few inches, and slamming the back of Ralli's head into the dirt with a cracking force. He kept his vice grip around red eye's throat and lowered down to press his knee into Ralli's injured arm, making the boy whine with pain.

At that point, Taya was seeing red, she was so angry. "If you're not man enough to step in," she hissed out and turned away from Atori, "then I just will!"

Atori didn't let her take two good steps before he moved in front of her, hands folded across his chest obstinately as he glared down at her. "The girl that whined and moaned about not being allowed to fight her own battles is about to step into a fight that has nothing to do with her?" he questioned and then scoffed. "Don't tell me you're a hypocrite."

"I'm not! But I'm not dumb enough to let silly pride get me or anyone that I care about killed!" she shouted back into Ato's face. "And what do you mean this has nothing to do with me? I'm the reason Ralli jumped into the pit tonight!"

Atori rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself," he spouted and turned away from Taya to watch Feruk glare into Ralli's face. "Sure, your predicament encouraged Ralli into this fight, but I'm pretty sure _that_ idiot would have found some kind of excuse to fight him at some point. This is a matter of Ralli's ideals as a pirate, his beliefs against the opposing beliefs of another pirate captain. He's doing this to prove that what Feruk does to his crew and everyone else, is wrong." Atori's voice lost its cutting edge and instead tried to get Taya to see things his way. "That's why I refuse to intervene, even though every cell in my body wants me to go over there and crack that bastard across the skull. Ralli's my captain and thus, he is the one that should battle another captain over such matters. Now, if that idiot goes and gets himself killed, then I'll be in there quicker than Feruk can imagine. And I'll kill that bastard without hesitation for ending Ralli before his pirate life could really begin." He could see the look that Taya gave him out of his peripheral vision. She looked shocked by that bit of information. "It's not just about pride, Taya. It's about honor and growth as well. We're going to the Grand Line, where there are people probably three times as tough as Feruk. If Ralli really expects to be Pirate King someday, he needs to be able to take down anyone. I'm sure you can sympathize with that, since you plan to be the World's Most Powerful Woman one day." He gave her a knowing look and Taya nodded.

"Fine," she sighed begrudgingly as she looked back at the fight with worried eyes. "But you won't be the only one getting a shot in on Feruk if that idiot loses this fight, by the way. I don't give a damn if you are the first mate!"

Atori chuckled a bit at Taya's familiar tone. Her and Kyler might not have been twins, but they sure shared personalities. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said after a second. Taya offered a questioning look and he smiled a bit when he looked at her. "There's no way Ralli's going to lose to this bastard!"

"What a pathetic waste of skin!" Feruk growled into Ralli's face, marveling in the trail of blood pouring from the boy's mouth in that moment. "And to think I'd been even remotely concerned about you because of the cursed name you hold. You're just low-class trash, boy! No wonder you didn't die with the rest of your damned family! You were just too pathetic to be killed!"

Ralli's eyes flared with newfound hatred as he glared into Feruk's cold back irises. "Don't speak about my family, you jerk!" he roared into the man's face, barring his teeth with anger. "You don't know anything about them! Don't you ever disrespect their name!"

Feruk scoffed and tightened his grip on Ralli's throat. Red eye definitely felt the pain of the grip, but his indignant glare didn't show a sign of it on his face. "That clan of killers has finally been thrown into the deepest pits of hell and I'm about to send them their final member! Any last words, you pathetic punk?"

"Yeah!" he chimed. His free arm tensing as he flashed his claws to their extreme length. "Rabid Claw!"

His hand slashed across Feruk's face in that moment, leaving the manic captain to yelp in agony and leap off of his body. While Feruk stumbled away, holding his face and snarling curses for Ralli, the red eyed boy turned over to grip at his abused arm. Even with Feruk off of the appendage, it throbbed painfully, almost shaking from the punishment it'd taken so far, but Ralli refused to give up. He gave it a comforting squeeze and leapt back to his feet when he saw that Feruk had recovered enough to glare him down.

"You don't respect anything, Feruk," he finally said as he straightened up and locked eyes with the madhouse. By this point, the captain was laughing again, absolutely livid as he cackled uncontrollably. Ralli just sneered. "You disrespect life, people, families. You don't even respect your own crew! I'm tired of you and your whole twisted outlook on life! It's time that we end this!"

Feruk continued cackling then, his whole body racked with the laughter as he doubled in on himself to hold his stomach. But finally, after a few seconds of the teasing call, he straightened up just enough to focus a hateful glare on Ralli. "You're right, Teko!" he shouted over his continued laughter and then pulled something else from his coat pocket. It was a shiny, sparkling ball, about the same size as those destructive orbs that Juno had used earlier. He didn't give Ralli long to ponder what the orb could've been before he tossed it into his mouth and crunched down on it with his teeth. A spray of yellow dust spewed from the ball, but was instantly sucked all into Feruk's body. Half a second later, Feruk's eyes bulged as something took over his body. His muscles seemed to tense all at once. Veins sprouted all over his neck and arms, and he'd begun cackling again. This time, though, it sounded more crazed if at all possible. It wasn't completely angry. It was like a sick joker's laugh and the maniac look on his face only made the captain look that much crazier.

"It is time we finish this!" he called, more shouting than anything else as he laughed like a mad man. "And with this power, I'll crush you Teko! I'll send you straight to hell with the rest of your murderous family!"

With that, Feruk sped for Ralli again, still laughing uncontrollably, but his eyes were focused and Ralli knew it. A brass knuckled fist slung out for Ralli's jaw and red eye narrowly dodged the attack and struck back with Rabid Claw across Feruk's chest. The captain didn't even seem to register the pain of the tearing strike. Ralli looked surprised by that and was caught off guard when Feruk crashed a fist across his face and he went grinding for meters across the dirt from the impact. He'd hardly recovered his head from the punch when Feruk stomped back over with that crazed laugh and kicked the downed Ralli across the chin with enough force to send Ralli sliding for another few yards across the ground.

"Oh no!" Ches hissed as he watched the shift in battle. All that he could think of was how Feruk had just taken one of those orbs that were typically on Juno's person. Maybe that was a specially designed one meant to make Feruk stronger? If so, it had gone above and beyond on its effect. Not only did it seem that Feruk wasn't registering pain, but his physical strength seemed to had doubled. "This is bad," he muttered before turning away from the desperate fight to Atori. He called out for the brunette's attention.

"I know!" was all that Atori shouted back to Ches, knowing already what was on the rainbow's mind. He turned back to the fight and was grinding his teeth with frustration as he fought over what he should do. A very, very big part of him wanted to remind that this was still a one-on-one fight between captains, but Feruk had taken one of those annoying drugs that Juno had apparently supplied. One quick glance at Taya and her brothers showed that they were indeed concerned at this point as well. "C'mon, Ralli dammit! You can't lose!" he hissed beneath his breath.

Ralli dodged around Feruk's manic form desperately, moving around each and every deadly punch that was thrown his way. It was painfully obvious that Feruk had taken some kind of drug to make himself so crazy strong, but the real annoying part was that the jerk couldn't feel pain apparently. Ralli had already cracked Feruk across the jaw twice and struck out with his claws thrice, but Madhouse hardly blinked from the attacks. _But not being able to feel pain doesn't mean his body is immune to attacks._ Ralli reasoned. _I just have to make sure to strike in a way that his body definitely feels it! Just, how?_

Just then, his concentration breaking for a brief moment, Ralli was suddenly caught around the throat by Feruk once more. Before he could think of breaking free, Madhouse yanked Ralli right in for a skull-cracking headbutt. Ralli hissed from pain as his head rocked back on impact, a bloody gash already forming from the strike.

"HAHAHAHA! Gotcha, you little stray cat!" Feruk woofed out and then crashed their heads together two more times, making Ralli's head spin from the pain. With another cackle, Feruk tossed Ralli right into the air and then grabbed the boy by the ankles when he was high enough. His sick smile never leaving, Feruk proceeded to slam Ralli back-first into the dirt. A rasp of rain came from the boy's mouth and before he could yank out of the grip, Feruk pulled him back into the air and then brought him back down for another spine-rattling slam. He then picked Ralli up again and spun the boy around rapidly, turning countless times until the whole pit was a blur of movement around them. "Round and round he goes! Where he stops, Teko doesn't know!" he cackled out before spinning two more times and releasing Ralli.

Red eye flew from Feruk's hands, soared across the dirt for two seconds, and finally crashed into one of the surrounding cement walls, his body perfectly buried into the structure as he hacked a pained cough. Hardly a second later, Feruk was in Ralli's face and crashed a brutal punch into his stomach, forcing blood and sputum out of the boy's mouth as his eyes bulged from pain. "Ready to die, Teko?" he asked carefully, his fist still buried in Ralli's stomach as he leered.

Without another word, Feruk yanked back his fist and readied himself for the finishing blow. "Madhouse Rush!" he called and unleashed a barrage of punches across Ralli's body, the fists whipping out in blurs as they crashed all around Ralli's body and slammed him deeper into the cement with each impact. Red eye yelled out in pain as they rained across his body, the brass weapons doubling the pain of the impact considerably. Meanwhile, Feruk was still laughing, cackling with unstoppable humor as he inflicted the pain on the boy. "Madhouse Rush! Madhouse Rush! Madhouse RUSHHHH!"

"RALLI!" Taya yelled out, tears welling in her eyes as she watched the onslaught. Before she'd even realized it, she'd taken a step towards the battle, but Atori's hand snapped around her arm to keep her from intervening.

And though Ato was keeping Taya from diving in, he was hardly holding back his own urge at this point, watching as Feruk completely decimated Ralli's trapped body.

When the onslaught finally stopped, Feruk halted his manic laughter just long enough to take a step back and appreciate his handiwork. Ralli had been buried at least six inches deeper into the cement from Feruk's rush of punches and the boy wasn't moving a muscle. He was covered in blood, bruises, and gashes across his body, and Feruk could only scowl deeply at the sight though his eyes were shining with happiness.

He turned away from red eye then, and looked over at the other group of fighters in the pit. His eyes immediately locked with Atori's and chuckled again when he read that absolute fury hidden in the man's green orbs. "Now that Teko is dead, it's time that I take care of my real business of the night!" He took a step toward them, his eyes still manic with crazed fury and fists tightened at his side that dripped a bit of Ralli's blood. "Starting with you, you pathetic bitch!" His eyes cut over to Taya, who was practically foaming at the mouth for a chance to knock Feruk senseless.

"You're not doing anything!" Ralli's strangled voice suddenly called and Feruk stopped walking immediately, his eyes sprouting with shock upon hearing the boy's words. He turned his head around to look over Ralli's standing body. The boy was bloody and beaten, but still he found the strength to stand there, defiant of Feruk's strength. His fur and claws had retracted – leaving him in his human form – yet he still looked extremely intimidating, his head low and cast a shadow over his face to show how his red eyes illuminated with anger and hate. "I'm not done with you yet!" he growled out.

Feruk snarled at Ralli's impudence and immediately charged the boy. "I'll kill you, boy! I'LL KILL YOU!" his roar echoing around the Superdome.

And Ralli charged as well. His moves were a bit jerky, but he still ran for Feruk with his eyes focused in on the captain. When in range, Feruk swung out a brass knuckle to crash against Ralli's skull, but red eye expertly moved under the dangerous fist and zipped around Feruk's crazed body. Hyped up on his drug, Feruk couldn't act quick enough to turn around to Ralli's faster body. This left red eye in the perfect situation for his attack.

Spinning on a dime, Ralli turned to Feruk's back while the Madhouse was just now realizing where he'd appeared at. Red eye extended his claws alone and stabbed them into Feruk's body. Naturally, the crazed captain didn't feel a thing, so he hardly realized what was happening until Ralli had used the grip to throw Feruk high into the air.

A snarl rolled from the captain's mouth as he soared above the pit, easily flying up to the 20-foot mark of the cement walls. Before Feruk could begin coming back down, Ralli leapt into the air in pursuit. He deftly flew above the 20 foot mark and soared past Feruk's slower moving body with ease, until positioning him in just the right spot to await Feruk's arrival.

"Whoa! He jumps so high!" Gevin crooned, shading his eyes a bit against the spotlights to see the action. And the twin wasn't alone in his thought, everyone else standing around in awe of Ralli's extraordinary leaping ability.

"This is for Reese, for Taya, for her brothers, for her dad, FOR EVERYONE you've ever stomped on to get what you want!" Ralli yelled, watching expectantly as Feruk finally flew up into his striking zone. Unable to do much in mid-air, the Brawler only watched with wide and angry eyes as he moved closer and closer to Ralli's gravity defying body.

"Man-Eki-NEKO!" Ralli shouted and spun rapidly as Feruk rose to the perfect spot. He crashed the bridge of his foot across the madhouse captain's face then, leaving Feruk's head to snap out like a whip. In an instant, the impact of the kick sent his body flying back to the ground and crashing with an explosive dent into the dirt.

By that moment, Ralli had finally dropped back onto the dirt, falling to a knee instantly to take a deep breath. His red eyes glowered up at Feruk's body then, watching with expectant eyes for the captain to get back up at any second. But soon, seconds turned to a full minute of silence and inaction on Feruk's part. The twins were the first ones to decide to throw caution to the wind and step closer, and once they did, they gasped at what they saw.

"He's out cold!" Yevin eventually hissed, cautiously standing over the madman's body. Then, slowly turning to Ralli with a huge smile, he exclaimed, "YOU DID IT!"

Indeed, Feruk was sprawled across the dirt – eyes rolled to the back of his head, mouth slack, and a slight dent in his forehead from where Ralli had crashed his foot and essentially knocked the crazed pirate captain unconscious.

Feruk the Madhouse Brawler had been defeated.

"YOU DID IT!" all of the brothers seemed to cheer at once and rushed over to Ralli with wide and happy smiles on their faces.

For his part, Ralli happily accepted their friendly hugs and congratulatory pats on the back, although his body was just about begging for a break, but he held strong, smiling dutifully until Taya and Atori had walked over, both looking just as pleased as the cook brothers. "Good job!" Taya said with a smile as she stepped up to the boy.

"Thought you were going to die there for a moment," Atori added playfully, smiling despite the jibe.

Ralli just opened his mouth in a wide beam. "Nope!" was all that he said before his eyes fluttered close and he fell onto the dirt.

Everyone seemed shocked by that for a moment, all of their mouths agape as they looked down at the unmoving boy. And then, finally, a gentle snoring noise wafted from Ralli's body, making all around smile again for the red eyed wonder boy.

"I hate this idiot," Atori grumbled and moved over to scoop Ralli up and throw him over his shoulder, and despite the words, he couldn't erase a pleased smile from his face. With his captain over his shoulder, he began walking back across the bit with Taya and her brothers in tow.

"Ah, I see sencho-san is victor!" Mary suddenly called from within the Superdome, her gentle voice alarming Ches, Ato, and Taya all at once. All heads whipped around for sight of her until they settled on her ghostly figure sitting atop the railing in the very area where Grecko had been earlier. She smiled pleasantly to them all and said, "That is very good! But twin sister you do not look well." She frowned a bit on the last part.

"Mary! What are you doing here?" Taya immediately asked.

"I had to help heikin-san and gaido-san at your family's restaurant," she chimed pleasantly, earning Atori a scrutinizing look from Taya. "Also!" she chirped and pointed out of a nearby opening, "I stumbled across the penguin man outside that runs this establishment. He looked to be running away from the building, so I detained him. I know how you feel about him, twin sister." She said it as if she were speaking of the weather.

"Whoa! Wait a second!" Kyler exclaimed before anyone could reply to Mary. He waved his hands around to call a timeout and look pointedly at Taya. "Why is the crazy girl from the restaurant here talking to you? A-and did she just call you _twin sister, twice_?" It was as though he cringed on the last question.

"Um, yeah…?" Taya meekly replied, nervously laughing a bit under the scrutiny of her brother.

Kyler looked like he'd been slapped with a salmon. His eyes looked from Taya to Mary and back again numerous times as if hoping to finally be able to piece together the situation. And just for fun's sake, Atori looked over at the confused blonde with a devilish smirk. "Oh? By the way, she's also that 'Spirit of the Trees' that you said someone had to be on brain-altering drugs to see," he crooned, bursting into laughter when Kyler's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

He turned away from the scene in desperation. "DAD!"

* * *

**Way to go Battle Bar Pirates! You've already taken down two major pirate crews in the West Blue. At this rate, you'll have the Marines hunting you down in no time. How about Atori, huh? You know, I struggled with that scene the most because I wasn't sure if it was called for, at least this soon in the story, but I don't know. Somehow, someway, Feruk had ended up pinning Ralli to the ground and I just couldn't for the life of me see Atori running out there to just help like that, no matter how much I wanted him to. Talk about encouragement, though? At least we know Ralli feels strongly about keeping Atori around. I wonder is that a good thing or a bad thing. Hmm? Only time can tell.**

**Check back next time for the conclusion!**


	20. The Crew Adds Two!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"The Crew Adds Two! Unexpected Words and an Ominous Impression!**

The night ended rather peacefully for the group after Feruk's defeat. Upon hearing of Grecko's survival and attempted escape, Taya had immediately chosen to confront the shifty fight promoter. Turns out he'd gotten sick of her winning so much and was willing to pay Feruk a substantial amount of money to knock the championship belt out of her possession. So, Taya being the person that she was, took the champion's belt as her own and dared Grecko to do a thing about it. Faced with a woman that single handedly took down a fishman, a boy that took down Madhouse Feruk, another woman that can open up holes in the ground, two men that took down the 50+ Feruk Pirate crew, and then the fighting cooks of Mira's Cabin, Grecko was more than happy to part ways with the treasured championship belt to save him and his business.

From there, the crew had returned to Taya's home, which was situated right behind Mira's Cabin with a single door connecting the restaurant and home for the family. With Taya and Ralli being the most wounded, they'd called over a personal friend to treat the two. The worst of Taya's injuries were several bruised ribs with one actually fractured, thankfully. As for Ralli, according to the doctor, he'd mostly need some major patchwork for all of the gashes around his body, but the worst he'd suffered was severe tendon and ligament damage around his shoulder and swelling. All in all, though, everyone had left the entire situation with no major casualties, not even any crucial damage to Mira's Cabin from the fighting.

And with the adventures of the night gone, the next day had come to shine light on the previously dreary escapades. Everyone was gathered in the rather wrecked dining area of Mira's Cabin. Bullet holes were all around. Tons of tables and chairs were destroyed. There were even some left over swords and guns from the brawl that had taken place, but the crew paid it no mind as they all sat around one large table. With the events of last night and the shape of the restaurant, Mira's Cabin was definitely closed for the moment.

"OI! I'm telling you! Had those Feruk freaks not taken that little drug, I would've kicked all their asses! Hands down!" Kyler declared, slamming a determined fist down on the table with one hand and pointing assuredly across at Atori with the other.

The brunette casually leaned back in the chair right across from Kyler, sipping on a glass of water as if he had better things to do than talk to the blonde. Finally, he dropped the glass and leveled Kyler with a sympathizing stare. "Say whatever you need to, blondie. We all need a pick-me-up every now and then."

"You're such an ass!" the blonde grumbled with a snarl, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over the green tank top he had on. He and his brothers finally had a day where they didn't have to where those stuffy waiters' uniforms and they took advantage of the opportunity gratefully.

Atori just shrugged while Ralli giggled at his side, with Ches sitting on the other and watching the conversation with a smirk. "Maybe you should try working out more. You are a bit scrawny," he mocked casually, not even offering Kyler a glance when the blonde's eyes sprouted with anger.

"Oh you're really pushing it now, buddy!" he shouted, his loud voice banging around the room effortlessly. Atori looked Kyler's way just briefly and turned back to a scarred wall as if it were more interesting, making Kyler that much angrier. "You think you're so damn tough just because of those little batons in your boots! Maybe you should try good 'ole hand-to-hand combat sometime!" He smirked a bit when Atori's eye finally cut back over to him.

"Is that a challenge?"

"You know it!"

Both hotheads were out of their seats in a heartbeat, their eyes locked dangerously as they watched one another. Then, out of nowhere, Taya's fist collided with the sides of their heads. "Oi! Cut the crap!" she demanded and forcibly shoved them both back into their seats before taking her own with an exasperated roll of her eyes. "I swear the both of you in one room together is giving me a migraine!"

"OI!" they both decreed, earning laughter from all in attendance.

When the laughter of the room finally died out, Ches looked over at Taya, who'd found her seat beside Ralli. "Taya, could I possibly ask you something?" he asked at once, drawing the attentions of all in the room with his words. He seemed nervous under everyone's gaze, but looked for Taya's eyes and said, "How are you able to fight as you do? I don't mean to be brash, but I've certainly never met a young lady with strength anywhere near yours. In fact, I'm pretty certain that you've got both Ralli and Atori beaten in that department."

Ato cast a quick glare in Ches's direction. Any other time, the rainbow would've shrunk away from the look, but this time, he only smiled away the threatening glare. Ato finally just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Speak for yourself, Ches," he said instead, sparking another glare down with Kyler.

"You tryin to say my sister can't kick your ass?" the blonde snarled.

"She can't and neither can you for that matter!"

Both men were back on their feet again with heated glares while Taya just sighed and rubbed at her forehead with exasperation, but the scene earned another snicker from Ralli.

"OI! Madcap one and Madcap two!" Taya's Dad suddenly barked as he entered the room from the kitchen. He had stacks of steaming, hot pancakes in both hands and was heading for the group at the table. He nodded a head towards the back for Atori and Kyler. "I'm glad you both feel like getting on your feet. Go get the rest of the hot cakes and be quick about it," the large man grumbled before taking a seat beside Taya. He sat the stacks in front of Ralli and Ches, willing to give his guests the hottest round. "As for your question," he pointed to Ches, who was just then topping his breakfast with syrup, "I think I can answer you."

Atori and Kyler returned from the kitchen, both of them grumbling something to each other as they walked with arms loaded with plates of the breakfast. They dished out the plates before settling in their seats and lending an ear to what Taya's dad had to say.

He cleared his throat a moment and began. "You see, I come from a long line of boxers. I was even a pretty hot shot boxer back in my younger days, but I ended up putting my career aside to settle down with Mira and start a family. So, it's already in Taya's blood to be a slugger. Heck! Look at us!" The man beamed a toothy smile that looked kind of _off_ on his usually stony face. On the man's side, his three son's beamed as well, making Taya roll her eyes. "On top of that, we all exclusively practice Twin-Fist boxing. It's a style that my own father designed that's meant to optimize a person's punch to its full potential. Twin-Fist requires the tensing of every muscle in the body to be absolutely effective. Essentially, you're not just punching with the muscles in your arms. You use every muscle in your body in a rippling effect that can double the strength of your punch. That's where the 'twin fist' name comes in. The more muscle mass a person has, greater their punch will be, which is why these string beans right here will never punch as hard as me." He gestured a thumb over to his three sons that were happily digging into their food until frowning up their dad's words.

Ralli quirked a brow, though. He paused his ravenous eating for a moment and leaned back to look Taya from head to toe as she sat, making the girl blush when she realized he was raking his eyes over her body. "Taya doesn't look that muscular?" he questioned, earning him a conjoined punch from all three of her brothers.

"DON'T LOOK AT HER LIKE THAT!" they demanded and Ralli nodded absently as he nursed a split lip and bruised eye.

Surprisingly, Taya's dad didn't look too put out by Ralli's scandalous act. He even smiled a bit, though that could've been because of the punch the boy had received. "Yes, well Taya here is a special case," he began again. "You see, my father discovered that some people are born with a gene that allows them to not show true muscle mass." The whole table paused for just a moment to quirk a brow at the man. Obviously, the whole family hadn't heard this story yet. "I'm sure it's hard to believe, but it is true. There are some people in the world that could have the strength of a giant, yet be as absolutely thin as Taya is. And it's not for trying either. With the regimen that Taya explained she works, I'm wouldn't be surprised if she could bench press me a few hundred times!" He cackled then with a boisterous laugh, making Taya blush a bit in embarrassment. "It's not a very rare trait. A lot people have it to some degree or another, so I'm sure that Taya will come across quite a few of them in her travels."

"Travels?" Ches quirked, just then finishing his breakfast and leaning back in his chair to observe. He distinctly noted the rather sour expressions that Taya's brothers immediately claimed at the mention, too.

"Um, yeah!" she chimed with a nervous smile. "While you guys were sleep last night, I told Dad about my goal in life and that I feel like I'm finally ready to set out. I mean, sure, I wanted to beat Feruk, but if I can take down a fishman, then I know I'm ready!"

"Yeah! She told Dad!" Gevin grumbled.

"To make sure she got his approval first!" Yevin added.

"And then we wouldn't have as much ground to argue with Dad at her side!" Kyler finished, looking disgusted with the thought of Taya setting out on her own.

"Enough of that!" Taya's Dad barked with a hefty fist slam to the table that threatened to break the poor wood. "No one's going to guilt her into staying today! We will support Taya in her goals, dammit! If I'm not grunting, then no one is!" The brothers reeled in their negative expressions rather quickly, though Kyler moved the slowest with an eye roll thrown Taya's way. When their expressions looked satisfactory enough, he then turned back to his daughter with a smile. "What about the rest that we talked about?"

Taya's brothers looked as though they were on the verge of whining again, but managed to hold it back just enough for Taya to speak. "Well, um…" she started and then turned to face Ralli directly. "I've seen dozens and dozens of pirates come through this town, Ralli, but I've never seen anything at all like you three. Not only are you guys crazy strong, but you have morals and values and…and, well you're just good guys. In all my time of dreaming about my goal, I'd never once considered joining a pirate crew, but seeing you guys in action has changed my mind for sure. And if you'd let me, I'd hope that I can start my journey with all of you as a new member to your crew!" She sounded hopeful, smiling nervously as she looked into Ralli's eyes.

Ralli didn't give her two seconds before blurting, "Are you kidding me? There's no one else I'd ever want to bring aboard my ship as cook!" He smiled happily at her, his grin stretching as Taya's grew.

"Wait! Why does she have to be your cook?" Kyler demanded with folded arms.

"Maybe because she's a cook?" Atori snapped sarcastically.

Their eyes were locked once more, everyone sighing tiredly as they looked about ready to shoot out their seats for the third time. But before they could, the swinging doors in the front pushed open and a gracious figure strolled inside, her bare feet silently tapping across the wood floor as she walked. "Good morning, twin sister and twin family!" she chirped as she moved across the room like a ghost. She spirited right behind Atori's chair and smiled politely down to Taya. "Are you really joining, sencho-san?" she asked.

Taya was still rather shocked to see Mary anywhere other than the forest outside of town, but she finally found her voice and nodded as she spoke. "Yeah, Mary! I'm finally doing it! I'm setting out to sea!" she offered a happy smile and Mary returned it.

"So shall I!" she crooned, surprising the room

"Whoa!" Kyler was back out of his seat. "We never discussed the spirit lady, Dad!"

"Shut up, Kyler!" Taya snapped out with a vicious glare that actually managed to silence her older brother. "Her name is Mary! She's not a spirit! And yes, she is my twin sister!"

Mary's smile grew wider with Taya's proclamation and Ralli smiled up at the naturist before turning back to Kyler. "And she's coming with us, too!"

From there, breakfast had gone by wonderfully. Taya had introduced Mary formally to her family then, laughing when Taya's Dad blushed when Mary had actually called him twin-dad. Kyler and Atori continued their rather momentary skirmishes, even going so far as to have an arm wrestling match at one point to prove who was stronger. They'd never got the chance to prove the strength because Ralli had dove in, too excited to wait for the outcome, and began wrestling them both. Yevin and Gevin had even asked if Ches would give them a brief tutorial on his knife throwing, which the rainbow happily agreed to.

By lunch time, they'd all finally dispersed from Mira's Cabin, ready to make plans for their eventual departure. At that time, Atori had stepped back out of the restaurant's doors, ready for some fresh air only to find Reese sitting on top of the cabin. With a nod of his head, the long blade swordsman called Atori up, and the brunette eagerly went.

"You don't look like something the cat threw up anymore. I'm guessing you found somewhere to rest that head of yours," the brunette piped up before dropping down beside Reese, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge with the violet-eyed man's. When he turned to look at Reese though, he couldn't help noticing that the mark of the Feruk Pirates had been cut out of the man's black vest. "Decided to edit your wardrobe?" he asked.

Reese instantly looked down at the patch, not at all looking sad to see it gone. "Yeah," he said. Another silent beat passed before he spoke again. "In case you're wondering what happened with Juno, I pulled out that poisoned knife after you all left and found him somewhere suitable to rest. He was sort of like me, someone who'd just been roped into Feruk's gang. I thought that he'd want to make a new life for himself as well, but the stupid bastard was insistent on returning to Feruk, so I knocked him out and left him in the woods. And by the way, when I saw that girl make the ground swallow up all of the pirates, I thought that they'd stay gone, not come popping back out fifteen minutes later completely unconscious. That was some kind of work to –,"

"I really don't care about that," Atori interrupted. "I want to know what you'll be doing now that you're not tied down to Feruk."

If Reese was surprised by Ato's interest, he didn't show it. "I'm going to continue to better myself," he said. "I used to think that I was already top dog when it came to swordsmanship. Until I'd met you, I'd never been beaten in a sword fight, and the fact that I lost to you twice just makes me want to better myself that much more." He shot the brunette a confident smirk. "I know I said this last time, but if we ever do meet in battle again, I will win."

Atori smirked. "I look forward to the challenge."

Another moment of silence fell over the duo then. Then, Reese finally spoke again. "I assume you'll be sticking with Teko then?" he asked, not really having to. Atori instantly nodded and Reese sighed. "Even with all that he's done, I don't think I'll ever trust myself to join another pirate crew again and if I have to be honest, I think you'd be better off on your own anyway."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm happy where I'm at," Atori instantly shot back, trying to keep the bite out of his voice but failing. "Feruk was a worst case scenario, Reese. You may not be willing to join another pirate crew, but that doesn't mean that I have to quit mine. I told you. I have to save my brother."

"But WE can do it, Atori!" Reese demanded, his face turning to the brunette with desperate eyes. "You've got too much talent to waste on piracy and chasing stupid dreams like the One Piece! Teko's a good guy now, but they all change eventually and considering that you're going to the Grand Line, I'd expect that shift to come soon. I only want to spare you my ordeal. Once you're in deep with a pirate crew, it's hell getting out."

Ato briefly had a flashback of the previous night, of Ralli's determined words. _You're a part of my crew and you'd have to kill me before I ever let you go. Got that? _He shook away the thought. "Maybe," he sighed. "But I don't plan on ever wanting to get out, even after I get my brother back." Reese raised a curious brow at the brunette and Ato snickered a bit with the thoughts probably running through the man's head. "Maybe I'm just the kind of fool that believes in stupid dreams, like the One Piece," he said, voicing words he hadn't said in years. "Who's to say I don't want to be King of the Pirates?"

Reese scoffed. "Good luck with that," he said with a smirk. "I guess you and Teko can fight to the death, IF it exists and you ever find it." The man sighed again, shaking his head thoughtfully. "Oh well. Guess your mind's set, huh Atori?" Ato grunted in reply. "Fine, but you'd better never let your sword skill falter. You're my goal, Atori! And I'll kill you if you embarrass my ambitions."

"I hope you're resolute in that because you'll never beat me," he replied, smirking when he heard the snort come from Reese. The other man looked about ready to make a move to leave, so Ato quickly spoke up. "Before you go, Landser!" he called, earning Reese's attention once more. "Last night, even now, you refer to Ralli by his family name and you spoke of his family as if they were something bad. And I know I heard Feruk refer to them as murderous at least twice. What's the deal with that?" He gave Reese a serious questioning look, to which the other man's eyes widened in shock.

"You really don't have an idea, do you?" he asked, earning an irritated shake of the head from Ato. "Have you lived under a rock all your life or are you just slow, Atori? I promise that I won't mock you for it."

"You're doing it now, asshole!" he growled out in reply, earning a humorous smirk from Reese.

But then the violet eyed man sighed. "Look, Atori, if Te – I mean Ralli – hasn't explained that to you yet, then I don't consider it my place to do so either. I don't know if he just assumes that you probably already know or what, but the fact that he hasn't said anything to any of you doesn't look too good on him as a captain. If I told you the whole story right now, you'd probably just think that I was making up something because of my personal feelings about you staying in the crew, so I'll let that explanation lie in the hands of someone already in your crew, preferably the captain."

"Gee, you make it sound as though I'm travelling with a blood thirsty monster," Atori joked with a smile that waned considerably when Reese could hardly crack a grin. This was starting to really make him uncomfortable.

"Just know that people noticing Ralli's family past won't stop at me or Feruk. He's got the unmistakable eyes of a Teko, which in this world means the eyes of death. Then again, I suppose that will only boost his reputation as a pirate, so it won't be too bad, but he's sure to have plenty of enemies. Some of which, he probably has never met. You've landed yourself one hell of a captain, Atori," Reese said, trying his hardest not to sound spiteful.

Atori opened his mouth to say…well, he wasn't sure if he wanted to argue or beg the man to tell him what the hell is so special about the Tekos, but he never got the chance before his name was suddenly called from down on the ground. "ATO!" the voice called again and Atori already knew that it belonged to Ralli.

_Speak of the devil_, he thought as he looked down at the smiling boy. _And considering what Reese was just hinting at, he just might be the real deal._

* * *

**At first I planned on this chapter being a lot longer just to speed along to leaving the island, but then I got to this last part and said, "You know what? The readers need this to be their stop." And so we stop. I'm hinting at a lot with this ending, so...well, don't think you're never going to hear people talk about the Teko family again. I promise that they have some interesting characters, including the ever loveable red eyed wonder ball. Anybody else like Reese here? I do. He's so nice. And between Kyler and Reese, I'm not sure who's bantering I like more with Atori. It's just fun writing someone who enjoys petty arguments and insults. Maybe because I'm that kind of person when it comes to friends, hmm? Whatevs!**

**Next chapter, the crew sets out for the next island! Peace Until Wednesday!**


	21. So Long Glory Island!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Friendly Farewells and Promises of Reuniting! So Long Glory Island!"**

With two new members added to the crew, it was finally time for the Battle Bars to shove out. They'd all stuck around Mira's Cabin long enough to allow Taya to collect anything that she might need and the girl was quick to snatch up the Fight Club championship belt amongst other things. After collecting her essentials into a bag, Taya was stepping out of Mira's Cabin with a pleased smile on her face, happy to greet her family and new crewmates that were waiting eagerly for her.

They all beamed happily at the smile on her face. Even her family put aside their own concerns to enjoy the joy practically radiating off of her. It was finally time to set out! "Don't just stand there!" she proclaimed and practically skipped across the dirt, passing them all by to head for the dock. "Let's Go!"

It was a little past noon on Glory Island as the merry band began their trek to the docks. With the events of the previous night, many people had gladly run away from the island in hopes of dodging a possible pirate raid. So, with so many people already gone plus whatever crowds might've left out earlier in the day, the crew could already tell that the docks weren't going to be near as crowded as the night the trio had arrived, thankfully. Although, some moods flew south – most notably all of Taya's family – when Reese had merged into the group at some point, quickly moving to Atori's side as they all continued walking.

"Yo," Kyler whispered as he subtly poked Ches in the shoulder. The knife thrower turned to the blonde, but saw that Kyler's blue eyes were raking Reese from top to bottom as the violet eyed man spoke with Atori, which of course consisted of ample snide comments and eye rolling between the two. "Isn't that jerk apart of Feruk's gang? What is he doing here? Do we need to teach him a lesson?" he asked.

Ches looked at him for a long moment before glancing back at the rest of Taya's family, who looked ready to attack at any moment, and then he finally turned to swordsmen duo in front of them, who were both speaking as if they were old rivals. Ches smiled. "Reese is no issue, Kyler. He followed Feruk under exceptional circumstances," he responded, raising a questioning eyebrow when the blonde scoffed as if that wasn't the answer he was hoping for.

"Why the hell is he talking to _that_ bastard then?" he questioned further, not at all liking how friendly Atori and Reese were acting.

Ches shrugged. "Ato tends to enjoy the company of those that annoy him the most, I suppose. The first time we met, he told me I talked too much and still, he was the only person I could ever talk to back in the underground ring. Maybe he likes it when people get on his nerves."

"Well he's getting on mine right now!" Kyler demanded, a little too loudly, and drew a quick, yet smoldering glance from Atori.

The brunette clicked his tongue in annoyance of Kyler and turned back to Reese. "I can't help but notice that you're in my vicinity without your weapon, Landser. That's not too smart on your part," he said behind a sly smirk.

Reese casually looked over his shoulder, almost forgetting that he'd left his sword behind. Still, he shrugged. "I didn't feel the need to bring Bonetti for this. Besides, you're not one to attack an unarmed man anyway. Aren't I correct, Atori?"

Ato just sighed and rolled his eyes, continuing walking as if the man wasn't walking by his side.

"You seem excited, sencho-san?" Mary chirped pleasantly as her, Taya, and Ralli walked ahead of the group.

"Of course I am!" he instantly responded, turning to both ladies with a bright smile as he walked backwards. "You guys just don't understand! I've spent two years of my life trying to find a crew and now it's all finally coming together. This is great!"

Taya quirked a shocked brow. "Two years? Ralli, how old are you?"

"19," he answered and turned back to walking normal. "Ooh! And I think we have enough people to try going to the Grand Line now, too! I'm finally doing it!" He threw his hands into the air with a loud exclaim that drew the attention of all around. "Yeah! I'm finally going to the Grand Line!"

* * *

"I'm not going anywhere in that," Taya deadpanned as her eyes raked the small boat over.

"Awww!" Ralli pouted at her side. "What wrong with it?"

Taya looked over at Ralli as if he'd grown a second head. "It is kind of small," Gevin added before his sister could punch the boy.

"And I've never been to the Grand Line, but I'm sure that you'd need something a little bigger," Yevin also chimed in as he scrutinized it. "Other than that though, it does look nicely designed."

Kyler just stomped over with an irritated look. "You didn't seriously expect all five of you to fit into this boat, did you?" he growled out.

Ralli looked over to their boat, given to them by Sonya, and pouted. "Well, I guess I did, but…" he paused to really scrutinize it, "…it is kind of small, huh?"

"YOU THINK!" the entire crowd barked, Mary excluded as she stood aside with a pleasant smile on her face.

Reese cleared his throat then and stepped ahead of the group. "I kind of suspected that you guys didn't exactly have a proper sailing vessel," he started, trying not to sound smug as he spoke. Ato thought that he wasn't doing a very good job. "So, I tagged along for more than to just wish you well on your journey."

Kyler scoffed. "Oh, what? Don't tell me you're about to snap your fingers and make a ship appear."

Reese hardly offered the blonde a momentary glance before turning his back and walking on down the large dock. "I have a present for you all," he said and waved them all to follow. Hardly five minutes later, the group was standing in front of a galleon, a ship of extreme proportions that looked built for a king. It looked carved out of the finest wood, a glossy, flawless finish shining off of the ship. Ornate carvings of mermaids ran along the glossy hull, and at least eight cannon ports were stationed on either side. A figurehead of a frowning mermaid carrying a shell close to her chest greeted them, and across the shell were the script letters, _My heart to Foory_. And fluttering proudly in the midday breeze, attached to the main mast, was the jolly roger for the Feruk Pirates. "Say hello to the _Joyous Jenny_! Proud ship for the once, all-powerful Feruk Pirates!"

"He named the ship after his wife," Ches awed as he took a few steps closer and looked over the frowning mermaid in the front. "And Foory was the name of their child, right Reese?" he asked and looked over to the long blade swordsman for confirmation. Reese nodded in kind and Ches turned back to take in the entire massive ship. "Well, say what you want about Feruk, but he had great taste." He even whistled a bit as he took in the regal beauty of the vessel. "What did he pay for this thing?"

Reese hummed in thought for a moment before answering. "I think I heard it was somewhere between 150,000,000 and 200,000,000. He wanted to embody the spirit of his wife and child in his vessel, according to some of the pirates. Or at least that's the story; I don't really care too much for the sob story. He beat, maimed, and killed far too many of his crew aboard it for me to put too much thought behind it."

"Sounds to me like the damn thing might be cursed or at least haunted," Kyler said, sounding utterly snobbish as he looked over the beautiful ship with a critical eye. "And you want them to sail off on something like this?" He turned to Reese and snarled when he realized that the violet-eyed man wasn't even listening to him. "I'm so going to kick his ass!" he growled and was already walking over when his brothers snatched him back.

Completely ignoring the rabid Kyler behind him, Reese stepped over to Ralli and said, "I know this may not be what you'd been hoping for, but it's better than stuffing yourselves inside of the boat. Besides," he turned away from Ralli to look over the boat with a bit of a thoughtful expression, "if you can overlook the fact that Feruk ever had anything to do with it, then Jenny turns out to be a very reliable ship. She's excellently crafted, spacious, and even with her large size, she moves quite well on the water. It's not too bad of a –,"

"No," Ralli demanded, arms folded as he glared up at the ship like it had insulted him. Reese quirked a questioning eyebrow and even his entire crew looked to Ralli in confusion, but he only had angry eyes for the ship. "I don't want this ship. I don't want to have anything to do with it. It belonged to that Feruk jerk and as far as I'm concerned, it's him. Just looking at it, reminds me of him. So, no. I won't get on it. I won't sail it. And I sure as hell am not going to the Grand Line in it."

"I think you're taking this a little too seriously, Ralli," Atori stated, nudging the red eyed boy carefully. "How else to do expect us to get off this rock if not with this ship?"

"I don't care," Ralli turned away from the ship and began walking off.

Reese made a snorting noise that Atori heard all too clearly. The brunette spared Reese one quick glare and then stormed off after Ralli, leaving the others to stand there expectantly. "Where the hell are you going?" he barked out, but Ralli kept going. "You're being a child, Ralli! It doesn't matter if it's Feruk's ship or a damn Marine ship, we need to get going and it's all that we have at the moment!"

"It's not what I want!" Ralli demanded and turned on Atori with blazing eyes. "I don't want to sail that jerk's ship anywhere! I want my own ship!"

Atori scoffed. "And I don't want to be dealing with a whining baby who's mad over a boat!" he growled out, matching Ralli's angered glare. "I don't want Feruk's damn ship any more than you do, but we need something to get us going. There's no way we can pack Mary and Taya into that boat that Sonya gave us and this is our only option, dammit. The quicker we get to the Grand Line, the quicker I can find my brother. Or have you already forgotten about that?" Atori didn't mean for that last sentence to come out, but when it did, he didn't dare think of taking it back. It was time to test Reese's little theory and when Ralli did the right thing, he couldn't wait to rub it in Reese's smug face.

But Ralli didn't immediately answer. In fact, the seconds ticked by between the duo, in which they both held each other's glares. Ralli looked on the verge of denying the request and Atori wasn't sure if he'd be able to contain the rage starting to crawl up his spine if the boy actually did.

"Fine," Ralli finally grumbled, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting. "But the next island we land on, we're ditching it. Deal?"

Atori scanned the boy, top to bottom, before sighing and running a tired hand through his hair. It wasn't the acceptance that he was looking for, but obviously Ralli's plans to help hadn't faded. "Deal," he replied and swung a kick for the boy's jaw that Ralli effortlessly dodged. "And that's for acting like a child!" he growled out before turning away from Ralli's smiling face and walking back to the group, though he quirked a brow when he saw that Taya, Ches, and Mary were no longer with them.

Before he could ask, Reese tossed a lazy thumb up to Jenny and then heard a joyous exclaim that could've only belonged to Taya. "Holy Crap!" she yelled and then two seconds later, she was leaning over the railing with a wide smile on her face. "This ship is LOADED!" she screamed, beli signs dancing in her eyes.

That certainly perked up both Ralli and Atori. Reese just chuckled. "Yeah, forgot to mention that. Feruk always was a stickler about keeping up tons and tons of money. There's probably close to a hundred million beli in there," he crooned, making everyone see beli signs with the exclamation. "I've already taken what I'll need for my journey, so what's left is for you all to do as you wish."

"REALLY!" Ches exclaimed, suddenly appearing at the railing as well with a beaming smile.

Reese smiled and nodded kindly. "Call it a thank you present for all that you've done and for taking out Feruk. You guys deserve it."

Ralli walked over with a bright smile and struck out a hand to the long blade swordsman. "Thanks a lot, Reese!" he proclaimed, shaking the man's hand enthusiastically. "But, I was hoping that you'd join our crew too!" This took everyone by surprise, even Reese, who looked like he'd been slapped in the face with a fish. Ralli just laughed at his expression. "Ato really likes you, and I've already seen that you're a good fighter, plus if you could deal with Feruk for so long, I know that you're loyal. C'mon! It'll be great!"

Reese held Ralli's smiling gaze for a moment longer before he looked over the boy's shoulder to see Atori standing with a cunning smirk on his lips. That made Reese finally smile as well. "I appreciate the offer, Ralli," he said, releasing the boy's hand and folding his arms. "But I've just managed to get out of one crew, I'm not looking to get involved with another. Piracy isn't a life that I ever wanted, even if it is with an extraordinary crew likes yours."

Ralli pouted, but nodded his head in understanding. "Well, I hope this isn't the last time we see each other. Think you'll be going to the Grand Line?" he instead asked.

Reese looked from Ralli to Atori and his smirk turned challenging. "Indeed, I will. And I certainly hope that we cross paths once again on the most dangerous of seas," he said. Ralli followed the guy's gaze and smiled when he saw that Atori was returning the unspoken challenge in full. "I'll be the World's Greatest Swordsman one day and I'll need to beat the best to get there."

"Good luck with that," Atori chimed, brushing past Reese as he followed Ralli towards the ship, their eyes never breaking.

"So this is it, huh?" Taya's Dad groaned as he stepped closer to the ship, looking up at his daughter with watery eyes. "This is the day that I have to say goodbye to my little girl." Her brothers joined their father, each of them looking up with sad eyes that was making Taya's eyes water as well.

"C'mon guys. Don't look at me like that, you're going to make me cry," she murmured, already wiping a few pesky tears from her eyes.

"Taya, you'd better get real strong, okay?" Gevin said.

"Yeah, and you better take down anyone that stands in your way. Show them the power of the Twin-Fist!" Yevin added with a stern decree.

"And you'd better conquer your dreams, sis! We're not sending you out with these psychos just to fool around!" Kyler demanded, though his words were a little less serious when he stopped to wipe his eyes.

Taya had completely abandoned fighting the tears at this point and was letting the stray tears flow freely. "I promise! I will become the best and you'll be reading my name in headlines soon enough! I WILL become the World's Most Powerful Woman!"

"And I shall be right by her side!" Mary declared, appearing out of practically nowhere by Taya's side. "All will be well, twin family!"

"You'd better be safe too, you crazy spirit lady," Kyler smirked. "Keep her safe, okay?"

Mary offered the family a definite nod and happy smile.

"Red eye!" Taya's Dad suddenly barked, startling them all. After a second, Ralli was over the railing, alongside Ches and Atori. The grizzly man took a second to look them all over before focusing in on Ralli. "You'd better keep my little girl safe, boy. Anything that happens to her will be on your head, get me?" he said in a dangerous tone and his sons were right there as back up for the man.

Ralli smiled with reassurance and nodded his head. "You got it!" he said with a thumbs-up for good measure.

"I see you've taken down the jolly roger," Reese said, walking closer to the group and gestured to the black cloth in Ches's hand. The rainbow nodded proudly and Reese smiled. "Well then, I suppose it's about time for the Battle Bar Pirates to shove out then, huh?"

Ralli opened his mouth to proudly declare yes, but Taya spoke quicker. "Battle Bar Pirates?" she questioned. "Honestly, I was expecting the Ralli Pirates or the Red Eye Pirates, since your eyes are kind of a focal point. What's up with the Battle Bars name?"

Ralli scratched at the back of his head sheepish, especially when he noticed that most everyone was now awaiting an answer. He leaned back and poked at the tonfa sticking out Atori's boots. "Those are why I named us the Battle Bars," he said.

"My tonfa?" Atori asked, looking down at the weapons curiously. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because they're battle bars!" he exclaimed proudly in return with a bright smile. "Or at least that's what I thought they were the first time that we fought. I'd never seen anyone fight with weapons like those and I thought it was cool how you used them. So, I named our crew after your weapons, Ato." He laughed joyously when Ato just stared at him in shock.

Ches smirked as well. "Guess you're really stuck with us now, huh Atori?" he questioned before laughing as well at the look on the brunette's face.

Before long, everyone was smiling and laughing at the utter shock on the man's face. Finally, Reese said, "Cat got your tongue, Atori?"

The brunette snapped out of his shock and just watched the others before scowling. "Whatever," he scoffed and turned on his heel to leave the cackling group.

When the laughter finally died out, Ralli jumped atop the railing with a proud exclaim. "Time to set sail!" he declared.

However, just as the crew moved into action, a rhythmic melody fell over the dock. They stopped in their places, hearing out the tune that sounded almost like a lullaby. Hardly five seconds after hearing the gentle music, Ralli fell off of the railing and landed on the deck with a thud, sound asleep as he snored. Taya was the first to run over to the boy, but she'd hardly taken three steps before she fell to the deck next, yet another person fallen to sleep. Ches's eyes sparked wide with shock, but before he could check on the two, he looked back to the dock to see all of Taya's family fall out in deep slumber alongside Reese. In fact, most of the dock had fallen asleep by this point and the quick thinking knife thrower didn't have enough time to think of what to do before his eyelids drooped and he slumped to the floor in sleep. Mary was leaning against the main mast, deep in sleep as well. Atori was the only one not on the ground. He looked around in shock at his sleep friends and began making his way over to check on them, but then the gentle melody stopped.

"You're a very unique person to withstand my Harmonious Slumber melody," the voice called from above. Atori's head immediately shot up to the person and his eyes widened when he caught sight of the cloaked figure standing in the crow's nest with a large and hefty bad slung over his shoulder. The cloaked man placed his flute-looking instrument back into the cloak and leapt from the nest to land on the deck with a shaking crash. "I don't come across very many like you on these waters," he said again, obviously addressing Atori since he was the only person not sleep.

"Y-y-you're that bandit bastard from Kaishi Island," he muttered out, in shock of the thief in front of him. Then, his shock turned to anger. "You son of a bitch! Do you realize how much trouble you made for us? How many lives you put at risk for stealing from Kissaru? She almost killed a friend of mine and if you think that I'll forgive that, then you've got another thing coming!" The tonfa were out of his boots in a heartbeat and Atori braced himself to attack, then his eyes scanned over the bag. His eyes widen with the realization before he practically snarled. "And I'm guessing that's our money in that bag, too, huh?"

The bandit's cloak casually blew in the wind, his face perfectly hidden in darkness as he observed Atori. "This is Feruk's treasure, not yours," he finally said. "And I'm doing my job by repossesing it. Don't be concerned. I left a few hundred thousand for your journey." With that, the bandit turned away and began walking off of _Joyous Jenny_.

Atori couldn't believe the audacity of the bastard. "You're not going anywhere!" he yelled out and sprinted right for the bandit. He knew that the guy was fast, but Ato had been complimented for his speed in the past as well. And there was no way that bandit could move that fast with such a huge bag of beli on his back. Ato was going to break the guy down easily.

Once he was in range, Ato lunged for the man, swinging his tonfa around with finesse to crash them against the bandit's turned head. Just when they were ready to crack over the man's skull the bandit vanished, literally vanished into thin air. Ato was so shocked that he fell to the floor while trying to search out for the thief. He pushed himself backup instantly, growling when he saw that not one person had so much as stirred during the brief encounter.

"Damn," he hissed in annoyance before his eyes caught a glimpse of black behind him. He turned instantly to find the bandit less than a foot away, the bag of treasure gone.

Atori instantly struck out for the man, but the bandit was quicker. In the lone second that it took Atori to swing out with the tonfa, the bandit struck a point around Ato's ribs, a point in his lower back, a point at the side of his neck, and a point around his thigh. The brunette hadn't even completed his strike before his whole body went flaccid. His arms slumped and his whole posture slouched, and he fought desperately to keep from falling back to the deck. He could hardly move.

"What…the…hell!" he growled out, at least halfway happy that he could still speak normally even if it was a little labored. Still, the predicament was feeling more and more like Juno's from the previous night, and that was not at all good.

Before he knew it, the bandit was back in front of him, this time with the bag back in his hands. The shrouded man looked over Ato for a moment before stepping closer. "No hard feelings," he said. "But I've got a job to do."

"Fuck…you!" was Ato's immediate response.

The man seemed undeterred and walked right over to Ato's side. All it took was one quick chop to the back of his neck, and Ato was sprawled out on the deck, his entire body immobile now. The bandit walked on, completely oblivious to the outraged glare burning into his back. Ato wanted to say something, yell something, just completely curse the man to hell and back, but now even his tongue wouldn't respond.

The bandit stepped over to the railing before hopping up with no effort whatsoever. He paused to look back at Atori's angry face for a moment. "Good luck on your journey and I hope you find your brother." With that, he leapt off of the railing and half a second later, he had disappeared into thin air once again.

* * *

**Thought you weren't going to see West Blue's Bandit in this arc? Ha! Wrong. And he just got the crew good. Gee, Jenny might actually be cursed after all. Hee-Haw! Its only a minor set back for the Battle Bar Pirates! They've just added two women to the crew who are both SUPER, not to mention they get to ride out in style aboard Feruk's Galleon. In your face, you creepy bastard!**

**How about Kyler though? Lol. He can't even make Reese notice him. Ahh, he was another character that got a little more attention than I'd initially expected, but I like how it turned out. He gave Atori someone else to argue with when Reese wasn't around. And how generous was it for Reese to just hand over such a fancy ship to the crew, including all of the money inside. It's too bad he couldn't join the crew :( Oh well, I try to let my characters make their own decisions...if that makes sense? Anyhow, Reese will be setting out on his own and who knows? He might just show back up in the Grand Line, nothing's written in stone.**

**Well, the crew had a bit of a rocky start, but at least the bandit wasn't so bad that he tried to kill them or anything like that. So, the crew will recover and then it's off to the next island! Peace!**


	22. Countdown to the Next Island!

**Glory Island Arc**

**"Time Spent on Joyous Jenny! Countdown to the Next Island!"**

Taya sang a happy tune as she mulled around in the kitchen of pirate's ship. Despite being nearly 100 million beli poorer, she wasn't in bad spirits. When she'd awoken from her unexpected sleep, she'd found Atori sprawled out on the ground, complaining about how his legs weren't quite working yet, Kyler was standing above Atori, trying to figure out what had happened, Ches was all sad and gloomy about all of their stolen money, and Ralli kept demanding to know why Atori hadn't told the bandit that he could join the crew too. To be honest, she was a bit skeptical about a cloaked man appearing out of nowhere to steal all of their money, but she'd heard crazier stories and that did offer at least a minute explanation of why they'd all fallen asleep. But first and foremost, even though she'd technically only known Atori for about two days, she knew that the guy didn't have a reason to lie.

So, despite the weirdness of the affair, they'd all said their goodbyes a final time and set sail. So, it wasn't all bad.

She sifted through the cupboards, pantry, and refrigerator, her smiling growing wider with each area she checked. It appeared that the Feruk Pirates had gone ahead and stocked the ship up nicely, expecting to be leaving Glory Island soon. Boy, were they wrong.

"Hmm…so what should I cook for dinner?" she thought aloud, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she looked over all of the food items presented to her. It was sometime late in the evening of the day since departing Glory Island – her home. All of the day, she'd spent the entire time resting. She had put on a strong face in front of her brothers and father when leaving, but the second they were out of sight, she'd crashed on the nearest thing she could find. Rotteshigi had certainly done a number on her, that much was true. She even flinched a bit from her bruised ribs as she reached for a bag of rice. Needless to say, she hadn't done anything in the way of cooking for her crew so far, which she'd honestly felt bad about.

A sudden crash sounded from outside, the noise jostling Taya just as she was ready to dump some chopped vegetables into a stew. But before she could make it to the door, "Ahh! Ato! Ouch – that hurts!" Ralli's loud voice demanded from outside.

"Then quit bugging me, idiot! I told you I don't feel like wrestling with you right now!" Ato's voice growled and then there were a few more tumbling noises and then Ralli's whining that he'd stop bugging the grumpy brunette.

Taya laughed out loud at the mere thought of it. She couldn't see what was happening, but she could just about picture it, earning yet another snicker from her as she stepped back over to the counter. She washed her hands real quick before cleaning and cutting away at some raw pieces of chicken. As she began working on autopilot, she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. Not only was she out on the seas, heading off to claim her goal, but she was traveling with the best group of pirates on the West Blue. It might've been a crazy thought, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't dare sail the seas with anyone else but the people on this very ship.

The door to the kitchen suddenly slammed open with a jarring bang. "Taya! It smells so good!" Ralli barked, practically gliding over to the oven on the trail of saliva coming from his mouth. Ignoring the damning glare Taya was giving him, he picked up the spoon settled neatly in the pot of cooking stew and brought it to his mouth to taste.

But Taya's hand was around the boy's wrist in a heartbeat. "You eat! When I say you can eat, Ralli!" she demanded, forcing red eye to drop the spoon back into the pot.

Ralli pouted. "But I'm the captain!"

"And I'm the cook!" she yelled, spinning to slam a punch right in Ralli's face and send the boy flying out of the kitchen with the single punch. She stomped over to the doorway as Ralli rubbed at his face with a pitiful look, but Taya knew he was far from hurt. "And for right now, this is my kitchen. And when you're in my kitchen, you do as I say, captain or no captain. Get me?"

"I got you," the boy pouted as he got back to his feet.

"Good. The food will be ready in about twenty minutes." And she slammed the door in Ralli's face and moved back over to the counter to continue preparing her food. She smiled happily. "I wouldn't dare to be anywhere else."

* * *

"Taya! The food is so good!" Ralli demanded, halting his ravenous eating for just a moment to speak. "You're the best!" he mumbled again before choking.

Ches was quick to his feet to check on their captain and Atori sighed. Mary seemed unfazed by their captain's peril and looked over at Taya with a smile. "It is delicious, twin sister. I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good," she offered with a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Mary. But if I'd known you were a vegetarian, I wouldn't have included the cutlets of chicken in the stew," Taya replied, glancing sadly down at Mary's plate. She'd made a chicken stew over rice with a side of steamed vegetables and small salad on the side. If Mary had been any other person, Taya would have lost her wits to know that she'd prepared so much of the stew and to have a serving of it go to waste. But she'd never asked Mary about the vegetarian thing, so it's really her fault. Still, Mary was perfectly capable of enjoying the rest of the meal. "I'll keep that in mind next time."

Mary nodded in kind and turned back to her meal, pausing just briefly to see Ches return to his seat from checking on Ralli. "Any thoughts Atori?" Taya suddenly asked, looking down the bench at the silent brunette and was pleasantly surprised to see his plate was empty.

"It was good," he offered with an air of nonchalance.

"Would you like seconds?" she asked and hardly stopped herself from laughing when Ato blushed. Taking that as an answer, she moved to get out of her seat and replace his plate – and Ralli's plate when he happily asked for seconds as well.

"Aren't you going to eat, Taya?" Ches suddenly asked as she walked over to the counter.

"Hm? Oh, no. When you spend just about all day standing in a hot kitchen with no signs of a break for hours, you learn to snack as you go. I was already full by the time I'd given you all your plates, but thanks for your concern, Ches." The navigator nodded thoughtfully to her reply as she returned to the table and sat the respective plates back down in front of Atori and Ralli. "So, where do we go from here?" she asked aloud to anyone who could give her an answer.

Ralli and Atori remained silent as they dove into their plates, both of them eating so fast that it was like they were competing. Mary had finished her own plate, but was looking as if she'd like to know the answer to the question as well. So, that just left Ches, who was just then finishing his plate. "I suppose I should answer the question then?" he asked, making Taya give him an obvious look. He pushed his plate away and thought for just a moment. "Well, I'm not entirely sure. I'm pretty sure we're not heading to the Grand Line just yet."

"Heck no!" Ralli demanded, slamming a hand down on the table as he swallowed the food in his mouth. "I refuse to take that Feruk jerk's ship to the Grand Line! I'd rather not go than take another pirate's ship!"

Atori scoffed. "What does it matter? That guy's on his way to Impel Down now. He's not coming back for it or anything. We've already taken down his jolly rogers. I say we keep it."

"No!" Ralli demanded, his serious eyes locking with Ato's, making the brunette narrow them in on the boy.

"I have to agree with the captain, Ato," Ches added. He pretended to ignore Ato call him a kiss-ass and continued. "We may've stripped the ship of Feruk's mark, but it is still very much his ship, whether we sail it or not. The ship was meant to sail for the Feruk Pirates, not the Battle Bars."

"I swear, this whole pirate's honor crap can be real annoying sometimes," Atori replied as he leaned onto the table with his face in his hands.

"Maybe? But do you really want to sail around in a ship that used to belong to 'Madhouse' Feruk?" Taya asked of the brunette, and after just a moment's thought, Ato shook his head with a definite no. "Didn't think so?" she chimed and turned back to Ches. "So, we need to find a new ship?"

Ches nodded. "Yes, and I think we should keep our eyes peeled for a doctor and possibly even a shipwright. I mean, we could definitely make it to the Grand Line with the crew we've got now, but…well…"

"We'd be a lacking crew on the most dangerous of seas," Mary finished for Ches and the navigator nodded in kind to her words.

"Sounds simple enough," Taya stated, moving from the bench with a big yawn. She walked over to the door, but paused for a second and turned back to them with an evil smile. "Oh yeah? By the way, I don't wash dishes, so you guys can have fun with that." She pointed over to the mess of dirty dishes piled in the sink, not even sticking around long enough to catch the shocked looks on everyone's faces.

"I'll man the wheel." Mary was up and out the door in a flash. "I'll be in the nest!" Ralli was next. And then Atori slowly got up from his seat with a yawn. "I'm just not doing that crap," he proclaimed before walking out of the room, leaving a frazzled looking Ches.

The knife thrower sighed. "It's a good thing her food's good," he muttered before getting to work.

Nearly an hour later, Taya was down for the count in the ladies quarters, Mary was manning the wheel, Ralli was in the crow's nest and actually being silent, Ches was still finishing up the dishes, and Atori was out on the deck, in the middle of a set of pushups. The brunette was counting out his three-hundredth and fifty-fourth pushup when Mary spoke.

"Do you always exercise at night, heikin-san?" she asked, casually glancing to his sweaty form on the deck.

Atori pressed out three more before responding. "I got bored, so I decided to do this," he answered and did two more before turning his head to glance at Mary, who was still watching him. "Don't tell me I'm distracting you?" Mary's impassive expression turned to a polite smile and Atori was quick to offer her a wicked one as well.

"Merely curious, heikin-san; do continue," she said and lifted her gaze back to the darkened horizon.

Atori scoffed and moved back to his pushups and silence fell over the deck once more before the door to the kitchen swung open and Ches stepped out, looking as if he was the one working on the pushups. "Merciful god! I'm finally done!" he exclaimed and wiped a trail of sweat from his brow. He'd even removed his trench coat for the work, something he hardly ever did.

Ato didn't bother pausing this time, though he did offer Ches a smirk. "C'mon, Ches. What was that you said when we first arrived at Glory Island? Something about needing a little hell in our lives sometimes," he said and actually burst into laughter when the rainbow threw him an unentertained glance.

"Hell or no hell, someone else is washing them next time," he said with a sigh before walking up to Mary, who was pointedly watching the sea. Even Atori hadn't offered the slightest bit of a reply, making Ches sigh again. "How are things going Mary?" he asked casually before leaning over the railing of the quarterdeck.

"All is well at the moment, gaido-san, although, I do sense a storm coming. It should arrive in the next seven minutes," she explained just as casually.

Ches merely blinked at the woman before looking to the sky. Sure, it was a bit cloudy and there was a nice breeze, but a storm? "Um, are you sure Mary? I don't mean to be rude, but it just doesn't feel like it to me. Maybe in another hour, but the next seven minutes?"

She turned to look the rainbow over and smiled politely. "I only wish to be of service. The environment speaks to me as clearly as you are doing right now, gaido-san, and it tells me that there is indeed a storm blowing in. I can only hope that you trust my judgment…as nakama," she explained and turned back to the sea without another word.

If no other words were going to wipe away all doubt, those did. Ches nodded a head in kind to her words and turned serious. "Are we talking about a small storm or something bigger?" he questioned and looked to the skies for any sign of showers.

"If you're asking if we'll need all hands on deck, then no. Twin sister should rest. Elie will provide the extra hands needed for any jobs," she replied, and on cue, the vines beneath Mary's loose sleeve sprouted out to show their usefulness in whatever might come. "As for the storm, it will not be anything that I fear is outside of your navigation skills, gaido-san. We will make it." She turned to the knife thrower with an ever pleasant smile.

"Hey, Ches!" Ralli suddenly called out from the crow's nest. He had a spyglass in hand and was scanning the area behind the ship as they continued sailing. "I, um, t-think we might have trouble." He actually sounded nervous for once and pointed a finger to a set of clouds with flashes of lightning rippling through them. "I see lightning!"

Atori was off the deck first, running to port side to look out over the see. Ches paid it no mind and focused on the task ahead. "This must be some freak storm," he mused and lowered his head to think. Just then, the winds began to roar, making the incoming storm that much more noticeable. "Considering how fast this storm surge is moving, there's no way that it can be an awfully huge one, right?" He looked to Mary for confirmation and she nodded. "But that doesn't mean it's any less dangerous though…we can't outrun, so we'll just have to manage through it!"

"What shall we do first, gaido-san?" Mary asked and stepped away from the wheel so that Ches could take command.

"Atori! Ralli! Listen up!" Ches demanded, his voice bellowing over the increasing winds and making both of the two turn their full attentions to them. Ches's expression was serious, stern even. This was an expression he typically saved for combat and apparently for navigation. "The storm is getting here faster and faster, so we need to act quickly. We're going to have to heave to. There's no way of avoiding the storm and I don't want to try fighting against the waves and the wind." At that very moment, the incoming wind blew just a bit stronger, pushing Jenny just a little more as the sails filled with the air. "I'm going to need to turn into the wind soon, so I need the jib partly furled so it can backwind and I need both the mainsail and jib trimmed tight!" Atori was already rushing across to the jib to adjust as needed and Mary and Ralli turned to adjust the mainmast.

Just then, the rain struck with a flash of lightning and hardly two seconds later, thunder crashed around them to announce the storm's arrival. For a smaller storm, the rain struck heavy on the crew, soaking them within ten seconds.

"Ready About!" he called out to the others, indicating his tacking maneuver as he caught another large gust of wind and turned to allow the sails and the vessel to take on the force. "I'm into the wind! Do it now, Atori!" The brunette was down at the furling line, pulling on it to furl the jib to Ches's expectations. The wind was strong against the sail though, making Atori's job just a bit harder, especially considering the slight fatigue in his muscles from the pushups moments ago. Still, the brunette gritted his teeth against the tension and snarled until the jib furled into its needed size.

"Mainsail tight!" Ches then yelled out to Mary and Ralli.

Both moved for the sheets immediately, but before they could reach a flash of lightning managed to strike right by the ship. Ralli's eyes jumped to the size of dinner plates and he leapt off of his feet to get away from the flash. By the time the thunder from the lighting strike had clapped, Ralli was nearly sprawled out on deck, his eyes wide as he simply stared. "Sencho-san?" Mary questioned, stopping mid-run to check on their captain.

"Mainsail tight!" Ches yelled out again, putting immense effort into holding the ship in the wind. Now that the jib had been backwinded, the sail was fighting to blow the ship out of the wind and the rainbow was doing the best he could to keep from losing their place. His brown eyes cut up to the main sail, a scowl forming when he saw that the sail had begun flailing with the new direction and the intense wind. "Mary! Ralli! Someone tighten the damn sail!" he barked once more.

With such a direct order, Mary turned away from Ralli's quivering form and rushed over to the sheets. Her vines whipped out from under her sleeve and took a hold of the tool. She pulled against it, trying to let the sail in enough so that it could hold the wind and contrast against the jib. Another moment of pulling, raining pouring on them all, flashes of lightning, and finally the mainsail stopped its flailing and tightened against the rush of wind.

Ches breathed a sigh of relief at that point. He could already tell a difference in the ship's positioning with the mainsail rigged perfectly. He turned the wheel a bit more though, angling Jenny into the wind even more so that the jib held her still. The rain would continue pouring, the wind would continue blowing, the waves would continue roaring, and the lightning would even continue striking, but for the moment, Jenny was going to sit through the storm and thankfully not capsize during its rush.

"Good job, guys!" Ches exclaimed with a smile, now ready to release the wheel.

"As if we couldn't do it!" Ato chimed, walking from the stem with a wicked smile on his face. He stepped right up to Mary, ready to poke fun at the naturist for doing some actual work, but found his voice cut off when he saw how she was watching Ralli. He looked over to see the boy looking into the sky as if there was something interesting up there. He wanted to comment, but chose not to. He was soaked.

"What the hell's going on up here?" The door leading below deck slammed open and Taya stood in the doorway, looking sleepy as she looked them all over. "What's up with all of the yelling?" she said, before yawning.

"We merely had some work to do is all, twin sister," Mary chirped happily before leaving Atori's side and walking over to Taya, who'd obviously decided to go back in when she saw how wet everyone was and that there was no major trouble.

Ches was quick to follow the girls' examples and rushed below deck as well. Atori began strolling towards the door, but stopped when he saw that Ralli wasn't following. "I know that the lightning is neat, Ralli, but maybe you should come on in before you catch a cold out here," the brunette chimed playfully, but still Ralli stood rooted to the deck with his gaze in the sky. "OI! Ralli!" he barked, making red eye nearly stumble in shock. And if Ato didn't know any better, he'd say that Ralli actually looked frightened of something. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ralli's infectious smile stopped him.

"Wanna wrestle in the rain, Ato!" Ralli cheered happily. The brunette just rolled his eyes and continued on with Ralli on his heel.

The next day came without trouble or strife for the Battle Bar Pirates. And now, with nothing but clear skies and a gorgeous sun, they found themselves scattered out over _Joyous Jenny_. Mary was at the wheel, well her vines were holding the wheel steady while she sat in a chair to read a book on flowers. Atori was seated in the crow's nest, his eyes scanning the horizon like a hawk's. Taya wasn't far from Mary's side on the quarterdeck, in the midst of a set of handstand pushups. And down by the main mast was Ralli and Ches, deep off into something of importance.

"Are you sure that is wise, twin sister? It hasn't been long since you sustained your injuries," Mary asked, not even taking her eyes off the book but still able to see Taya hard at work at her training. "I would be saddened deeply if your health was to suffer."

Taya had known Mary long enough to be able to read through that, often indifferent, voice of hers and she smiled at Mary's concern. "I'm fine!" she grunted out before pushing up to do her 200th rep, a drop of sweat falling from her face as she did so. But deep down she knew that she wasn't fine because she usually didn't get tired until she'd done at least 500 of these. Still though, it was nothing that she couldn't live through. "You have to work through the pain sometimes, Mary."

The naturist lifted her head from the book for just a moment to observe Taya thoughtfully, but then it passed and she returned to the book, tilting her fingers ever so slightly to maintain Jenny's progress on the water.

"What is that, Ches?" Ralli exclaimed with wide eyes as he looked at the red marble-like orb in the navigator's hands.

Ches pulled the marble out of Ralli's reach when the boy attempted to touch it, cringing desperately to keep from putting too much pressure on the ball. "Please, Ralli. Don't touch it!" he demanded, making red eye stand down, but pout nonetheless. "If you had, you'd probably blown us both away," he added and then straightened back up to hold the ball back out. "That guy from Feruk's crew had it. Juno was his name and he's known as 'Juno the Bomber.'"

"The bomber?"

"Yeah, he's got a bounty on his head. Not much though." Ches shook his head to rid himself of the topic. "Anyway, when I fought him back on Glory Island, he fought using these things. They're like little bombs. There was one for ice, fire, explosions, smoke, and then that crazy one that made all of them resistant to pain. Well...I suppose that one that Feruk took to make him go insane as well."

"I think he was already crazy, Ches."

And it was the pure seriousness in red eye's voice that made the knife thrower laugh. "Yeah, you're right about that." He then continued when Ralli looked at him insistently to get to the point. "Oh! Well, I found these and a few others when we'd come back from the Superdome, probably dropped out of his bag when he'd taken that explosion. Anyway, I was hoping I could study it to better understand how it works. From what I can tell, they use some kind of pressure mechanism to ignite, but I just don't know what goes in it. Just figured if I knew, that I could probably make some kind of variant for my knives." He laughed awkwardly a bit before adding, "Between you four, I'm just starting to feel a little bit outclassed, you know." He offered another moment of the awkward laughter before looking over at Ralli and visibly flinching when he saw the glare of the boy's red eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, Ches. I'm glad you want to improve, but you know that I don't think you're weak. None of us do. And you'd better remember that when we reach the Grand Line," he demanded before moving to his feet. He held the seriousness in his eye for just a few more seconds before it turned to a bright smile. "I know you're motto, Ches. You find a guy that you can't beat, don't worry. Just send 'em my way and I'll kick their ass for you!"

Ches offered his captain a kind smirk before nodding happily. "Thanks, Ralli," he said and the red eye offered a thumbs up before walking off to leave Ches to his work.

"Hey Ato!" Ralli suddenly called, looking up the main mast to the brunette's position. Atori tossed a glance down to the deck and rolled his eyes when Ralli smiled back up at him with a wide grin. "Do you wanna –?"

"Fight?" Ato interrupted and then sighed deeply when Ralli nodded his head happily. "Why do I feel like I have to answer this question twenty times a day? Oh? That's right. It's BECAUSE I actually have to!"

Ralli just burst with laughter at the irritated expression on his friend's face. "You never want to fight me, Ato! That's why I ask so much!"

Atori hissed an angry grunt in reply and had begun to turn back to his observation of the sea, but he froze and then turned back down to Ralli with a cunning smirk. "How about we compromise, Rally?" he asked, making Ralli nod his head happily. "Because I don't want to get lazy with sitting around a ship every day, I'll give you a fight. But here's the deal: We'll only fight once – ONCE Ralli! I'm serious about that. For every time you ask me after our fight of the day, that will be a day deducted where we won't have a fight. Do you understand?"

Ralli nodded his head happily. "Does that mean we get to fight right now?" he asked with barely contained excitement.

"Nope! It's in the middle of the day, don't feel like it," Ato crooned, turning away from the conversation and back to the sea.

"But Ato –!"

"No."

"Ato –!"

"No."

"ATO!"

And from there, the days passed with relative ease. Each day had passed without concern or worry for the crew. Before long, four days had passed while aboard Joyous Jenny and by then, they were all itching for some action and dry land to walk on.

Which is why Ches's sudden called sparked an air of excitement within the fivesome.

"LAND HO!" the knife thrower declared from the crow's nest as he looked from the spyglass with avid glee at the landmass in the distance.

Taya burst out from the kitchen with a happy and relieved smile on her face. Mary awakened from her meditation with a calmed joy. Ralli was practically a buzzing maniac as he dotted all over the ship to get a view of the mere blip of an island in the distance. And even the typically scowling Atori smiled happily at getting an opportunity off of the ship.

"Finally! Good ole land!" he cheered, standing from the rail to stretch out his legs. "I've missed you my earthy friend."

Taya walked up next to the brunette with a playful punch to his shoulder. "Don't tell me you're ready to get away from me already." Her smile took any accusation out of the statement, but she still feigned a pout. "And here I thought we'd be the best of friends, Ato."

The brunette scoffed. "I just want to stretch my legs," he said with a shrug. "If that means time away from you, who am I to complain?" He then let his nonchalance melt into a wicked smile, earning him another playful punch to the shoulder.

And suddenly Ralli halfway up the main mast, his claws buried into the wood to get a better look at the dot of land in the distance. "You see that, guys?! That's where we'll say goodbye to Jenny and hello to our ship! And from there, we sail to the Grand Line!"

* * *

**Just a bit of fluff for you guys. I just wanted to hit a few points in this little update for the sake of showing the crew in a typical setting on the ship. But things are about to pick up once more now that an island in coming up. Wonder what awaits the crew? More pirates? Possibly marines? Maybe even bounty hunters? Hmm...you'll just have to stick around to see.**

**See ya!**

**[P.S.] Apologies for the late update :( I got wrapped up in school and work and forgot to update yesterday. But the update schedule remains for now. See ya Monday for Ch.23!**


	23. Greetings from the Mysterious Fishman!

**Gregor's Isle Arc**

**"A Disappointed Docking! Greetings from the Mysterious Fishman!"**

"I don't think we'll be finding a ship here," Atori stated, sounding anything but amused as he took in their surroundings.

"WHERE IS EVERYTHING?!" Ralli yelled, his voice bouncing around the wilderness around them, nothing in sight but dirt, trees, grass, and more trees.

The crew hadn't long since docked at the sandy beach of the island. And as of the moment, all that was in sight was wilderness, which was greatly deflating Ralli because he'd expected to find them a new pirate ship. But it wasn't all bad news for the others. Mary had almost instantly fluttered into the forest, happily interacting with the environment. And Atori was just happy to be on solid, non-wavy land for the moment.

Ralli groaned and fell over into the dirt, his demeanor shifting to one of sadness at the thought of his missed opportunity of a new shipping vessel. "I thought we were going to get a new ship," he groaned into the dirt.

Atori hardly offered red eye a passing glance as he stomped further into the area. Ches, meanwhile, walked over to their captain with a pleading look. "Don't look so down, Ralli. I'm sure we'll find a ship on the next island."

"Yeah. In the meantime, Jenny's doing a great job of carrying us around," Taya added in an effort to sound reassuring.

"I don't want Jenny. I want my ship!" he demanded, sounding every bit of a kid on the verge a temper tantrum.

With that, Taya just shook her head and walked on up the beach in pursuit of Atori. Ches had opened his mouth to speak again, but clasped it and shook away his own words to follow Taya. Leaving Ralli in his own self-pity, the others marched on into the trees to scope out the area for anything that may prove to be of use. Atori strolled through the trees as if truly knowing where he was going, and Taya and Ches followed blindly.

"Atori, do you know where you're going?" Ches finally asked after they'd been walking for three minutes.

The brunette suddenly stopped and turned back to Ches as if the navigator had just told him the sky was red. "No," was his quick response. "How would I know where I'm going? I've never been here before."

Ches deadpanned and Taya just growled. "Then why hell have you been leading us through this forest as if you knew what you were doing?"

Again, Ato looked at them as if they were crazy. "I wasn't leading anyone. I was just taking a walk and you two were following like idiots."

This time Ches sighed and Taya's growl turned to a snarl. "I could really punch you right now."

"Hello Everyone!" Mary suddenly exclaimed, literally popping out of the nearest bush to give everyone a heart attack.

Atori dropped his tonfa back into his boots and Taya dropped her fists while Ches just stared helplessly. "Mary! For goodness sake, don't do that!" he exclaimed.

The naturist seemed to analyze the look on Ches's face for a moment before nodding respectfully. "My apologies, gaido-san. I just wanted to tell you all that the environment has informed me that there is a village here on this island and even a huge town on the other side." She pointed off deeper into the forest as well. "Also, there is a large clearing up ahead with a flowing river that dissects the island. I figured this information would be relevant."

"Good work, Mary," Atori thanked and then turned to Taya with a sour look. "See, at least I was going towards something." He pointed out the general direction of the clearing with a mocking smile.

"Even a fool can find the sea if he walks in one direction long enough," the feisty cook replied and before Atori could make a scathing remark, they were all suddenly drawn back to the direction of their ship when a critical scream tore through the area. "The hell was that?" Taya demanded.

Atori rushed past her with a scowl on his face. "Don't know, but it came from near the ship." And it didn't take the others long to follow his lead and run back in the direction.

The trek back to the beach took all of a forty second sprint for the group, but once they'd arrived, they were greeted with quite the sight. Ralli – face caked with dirt from when he'd been pitying himself – was now back up and running around the beach like a mad man, yelling something about not hurting Taya and that he'd get Rotteshigi. And running away from the freaking out Ralli was a light colored guy with a beach hat pulled over his face as he screamed bloody murder and ran for his life.

"Help me! Someone help!" the poor man called and Atori had a deep urge to run out there onto the beach and beat the crap out of Ralli.

"Mary, would you please?" he asked.

With a curt nod, Mary brought a hand up to the rose on her shoulder and as carefully as possible, she petted the flower and said, "Devour."

On cue, the sand beneath Ralli's and the man's trampling feet gave way and they were both sucked into the ground. The ground stopped at their waists and held them firm like cement as they both trashed around – Ralli trying to continue chasing the strange man and the man wondering what the hell just happened. Despite herself, Taya laughed at the predicament of the two, calling attention to the group as they walked out onto the sand and right over to the sand's prisoners.

"Oh no! You're with him aren't you?" the man squealed with fear. "Please don't kill me! I'm no one, nobody! I'm not even worth your time! I'll do anything you want, just don't kill me!"

"How about shut up?" Atori asked and instantly the guy was as quiet as a mouse. The brunette snorted with righteousness and walked right over to Ralli, who was still thrashing in the dirt. "Oi! Idiot!" he said, with a quick slap to the back of Ralli's head that managed to knock some of the caked dirt from red eye's face.

Ralli stopped his thrashing just long enough to look up at Atori and then wipe the rest of the sand from his eyes. "Hey! You're back!" he cheered and then suddenly glowered and turned back to the man. "Get me out of here, Ato! I have to kick that guy's ass! It's that Rotteshigi jerk from the Fight Club!"

Atori just rolled his eyes. "Ralli, you just had dirt in your eyes. That is not a –," Ato stopped mid-sentence, his eyes raking over the guy's face as the sun finally shined a better view of the man. The guy's skin was shiny with light blue skin, obvious gils on the side of his neck, sharp teeth, and webbed hands. " – oh, crap! It is a fishman!" Atori nearly stumbled over the sand as he yanked his tonfa out of his boots.

Meanwhile, the others were coming over and the second Atori pulled his weapons, they turned to the man and got their full view of the fishman. Though the guy could only shriek and whine in fear, the others braced themselves as if ready for an attack. Ches moved protectively in front of Taya, Ralli was finally able to rip himself out of his confines and had his claws braced for battle, and even Mary's typical calm expression turned to one of anger and hate.

"You will never hurt my twin sister again!" she demanded before sweeping a hand across the flower once more. "Eternal Drop!" the naturist called and all of a sudden, the hole that held the fishman widened to swallow the guy whole and yank him deeper into the sand.

While the others seemed to breathe a sigh of relief to see the man gone, a wave of anger rolled over Taya's face. She swatted Ches aside before barking, "What the hell's wrong with you guys?!" She turned her cobalt eyes over to Mary and demanded. "Bring him back, Mary!" The naturist seemed ready to argue, but Taya didn't give her a chance. "You call him back right now, or you can forget ever being my twin sister again!"

That seemed to strike Mary deep in her soul and instantly her hand moved up to brush against the flower once more. Not long afterward, the ground literally spat the fishman back, the poor guy completely unconscious and having rocks tumbling from his mouth from when he'd obviously been yelling.

"Taya, why would you ask to have this guy brought back? He's a fishman, look what he'd done to you." Ches demanded, pointing to the sight of bandages on her body.

"Idiot!" she snapped. "Rotteshigi did this to me, not…not that guy!" She waved over to the poor, unconscious fishman with an obvious look. "That guy spent more time running and yelling in fear than trying to attack! How could you all think that he's violent?" The others all seemed to mull over her words and the looks that dawned on their faces was more than clear. Taya just sighed. "Look, I'm so glad that you all would move to protect me, but there is nothing to protect me from here. I'm just disappointed that you all would stereotype him like this. I just expected more from all of you, especially since this is the same type of crap that I hated getting from my family."

A long moment passed as the others took in Taya's words, all of them looking a bit disappointed at themselves before Ralli spoke up. "Taya's right, guys. We did wrong and nearly hurt an innocent guy in the process." He locked eyes with their cook and said, "We're sorry, Taya."

"Don't apologize to me," she said, turning away from them to look in the forest. "Save your apologies for him. So bring him along so that we can wash the dirt out of his mouth." She waved them on as she walked back into the forest. "The clearing's this way, right Mary?" she asked, stopping just long enough to see the naturist nod.

"Ah, yes sister," Mary answered before stepping off to follow the cook.

With a sigh, Ato moved over to the fishman's body. He looked over the pitiful guy before rolling his eyes and yanked the body from the ground to throw over his shoulder. "If he tries anything funny, leave him to me," the brunette called, walking off as Ralli and Ches followed.

Fifteen minutes later, the group was gathered in the clearing up ahead. It was a beautiful and wide area with a large lake in its center. The water was a deep oceanic blue, indicating that its depth was far more than any regular person could handle, and branching off of the lake was the river that Mary had mentioned earlier. They brought the unconscious man over and Taya had made good on her word to get the dirt and rocks out of his mouth and from then they'd only been standing around waiting for him to come to.

Mary was standing lakeside, a tranquil expression on her face as she looked over the beautiful clearing with happiness. "I do love when nature shows such wonderful glimpses of her beauty," she chirped softly as her eyes glanced over the area. Ches looked over at the woman and quirked a brow, ready to ask what she meant by that, but Mary noted the expression and was already answering the unasked question. "Nature can be a very volatile mistress at times, but at others, she can shine with the glory of nothing else imaginable, gaido-san. I truly love being surrounded by such a wondrous environment."

"Nicely said," was all that Ches could respond with as he smiled at the woman's glowing expression.

"Oooh! Taya, how deep do think this water is? Is looks sooo deep!" Ralli crooned, standing over the lake with his reflection looking back at him as he tried to discern anything in the dark blue shadows of the deep water. Then, he pouted as he recalled his "weakness." "I wish I could swim!" he groaned.

Taya looked over at their captain and smirked. "Too bad, Ralli, but that's the price you pay for eating a devil's fruit," she chided, chuckling a bit when Ralli turned his pouting face at her. As a second thought, she added, "Why _did_ you eat a devil's fruit anyway?"

Ralli's pout evaporated upon the question and he shrugged absently in reply before turning back to the lake with unconcern. "I didn't do it on purpose. I was hungry and it was the only thing around," he replied, completely missing the way Taya gaped upon the casual answer. Then, the boy's face scrunched up in disgust as he recalled the extremely bitter taste of the event. "It was the nastiest thing I'd ever eaten, too! I had tried to throw it back up because it being so bad, but nothing would ever come out, and a few minutes later, I remember all of this black fur popping up on my body and my nails grew sharp and suddenly I could smell and hear just about anything. It was sooo weird. I had even accidently bitten my tongue with my sharp teeth by accident, too."

"Really?" the girl said, mystified by the rather abnormal event. "What did you do then? Go see a doctor or something? You had to have been worried, right?"

"Totally!" he piped, but then shook his head. "But I didn't go see a doctor. I went to my sister and asked her what was wrong with me. She kicked my ass and told me that I was an idiot for eating a devil fruit." Ralli smiled sheepishly, obviously reliving the memory again. "Atori reminds me a lot of her sometimes, especially when he gets mad at me. Hera used to get mad at me all of the time." He even laughed then, causing a happy smile to pull at Taya's lips.

"I had no idea you had a sister, Ralli."

"Yeah, she's off doing her own thing now though. She helped me learn how to control my power, but it still tends to get out of control whenever I get mad." The bright smile on his face then receded a bit, looking a little less happy and a little more thoughtful. "I do miss her sometimes, though," he added almost in a whisper. "But it's okay because I told her that we'd meet again someday. She's even stronger than me, so I know we'll see each other again!"

Taya quirked a brow at the thought of anyone being stronger than Ralli, but chose not to mention it. Instead, she merely smiled and nodded in kind to the boy's words. "Well, I can't wait to meet her."

And while everyone else stood near the lake, Ato stood guard over the unconscious fishman, making sure he didn't try anything funny while their guards were down. "What if we killed him?" Atori asked grumpily as he glared into the fishman's face. The guy was sat up against a tree, mouth agape as he rested. Ato absentmindedly poked him, just to see what would happen. "Taya, do you think we could make lunch out of him?"

Only Mary managed to not look disgusted with the thought. "Why would you even –?" Taya had begun, but was cutoff as the fishman suddenly shot up with wide eyes, making everyone move back a bit.

"Did someone say lunch?" he howled, looking like a hungry wolf as he looked around and then, after a moment, he noticed where he was and who he was surrounded by. He shook with paralyzing fear as they looked back at him. "You guys are going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Stop asking us that!" Ralli grunted and walked over to the fishman, making the guy flinch back when he squatted down to his level.

"But you're the worst one," the guy mumbled, looking shaken with fear. And when Ralli smiled at the guy's trembling, he roared, "Why'd you chase me like that!"

"Why _were_ you chasing him, Ralli?" Ches asked as well, speaking the words before Ato or Taya could say them.

Ralli just scratched at the back of his head sheepishly. "He walked up on me while I was lying down, and when I looked up, he just kind of looked like that fish jerk from the fight club. I thought Rotteshigi might've tracked us down, sorry about that!"

Atori just sighed. "Idiot," he grumbled.

"And you didn't think anything might've been weird when he started running from you and screaming?" Taya added.

"Oi! I wasn't screaming!" the fishman protested, only to get the whole crew to tell him that he was in fact screaming. The fishman just scoffed. "Well, I thought you were pirates coming to attack us. I didn't know what else to do."

"We are pirates," Ralli said, making the fishman's eyes go wide with another oncoming attack of fear. "But we aren't here to attack you, so you don't have to be such a scaredy-cat," he quickly added with a chuckle.

"I'm not a –!"

"Yeah, you're real brave," Atori grumbled, interrupting the fishman as he stood by Ralli's side. "So, got a name?"

The guy took a long moment to look them all over, as if deciding if he really wanted to get friendly with pirates, but he really didn't have much choice. So, he replied, "I'm Makyo." He pushed himself off of the grass and stood, coming right at Atori's height. He had shiny bluish-light green skin that had the faintest markings of camouflaged stripes along his arms and legs. Gils were along his neck and he had razor sharp teeth with webbed hands. He looked modeled after the tiger shark with a flat, wide nose, beady-black eyes, and a dorsal fin sticking out of the shirt on his back. He wore a striped shirt of varying colors that looked as though the sleeves had been cut off and loose, pale yellow shorts adorned his lower body with simple brown flip flops. And without the big, floppy beach hat over his head, his messy and stringy silvery-white hair stood out like a patch of snow on his head. "Since you're not going to kill me or hurt my village," he stuck out a hand to a skeptical Atori, with his razor sharp teeth shining in the light. "It's nice to meet you. Welcome to Gregor's Isle!"

* * *

**A friendly/cowardly fishman? Huh? Don't see that everyday, even in the One Piece world. Anyhow! Looks like the crew has already made a new friend. Maybe. Could he be pretending to be nice? hmmm...so many possibilites. Guess you'll just have to check back next time to see what happens.**

**See ya!**


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